Alumni Gym
Everyone
has heard of the fantastic Johnson Center located on south campus, but no one
knows a lot about the Alumni Gym located on north campus. This facility, primarily open for recreational
basketball use, is one that has been around for many years. Most students on campus are unaware of this
historic gym because the grand Johnson Center over shines it, leaving it in the
shadows.
The Alumni
Gym “contains two basketball courts, and also houses the UK Wellness Department
Body Shop” (Alumni Gym). By being the
host to these courts, students, faculty, and staff members are welcome to enjoy
the recreational gym during the hours of operation. These hours, found on the Alumni Gym website,
are as follows: Monday-Friday, 11:30am-12:30pm and 4:30pm-8pm, and Sunday,
4:30pm-8pm. The gym is open for students
on a special schedule, being from 8pm to 12am, Monday through Thursday. These restricted hours of operation could be
the reason behind the lack of awareness to students on campus.
What many people do not know about
the Alumni Gym is its past. Before Rupp
Arena, even before the Memorial Coliseum, the Alumni Gym was the host to the
University’s basketball team. Opening in
1924, Alumni provided 249 Kentucky wins and only 24 Kentucky losses. This record was only a preview for what was
to come for the legendary Kentucky basketball team.
A building that used to be so
important to the University has become almost nothing to the new and improved
facilities. How could people today make such
a historic structure still be as important as it once was? In what ways could the students and faculty
members of the University develop the gymnasium so that it stays on par with
the rest of the organizations on campus?
The past is the key to the future, and the Alumni Gym is something from
the University’s past that I plan on keeping for the future.
I had no clue that Alumni Gym used to host the basketball team. I think that is something that is not well known among students across campus. In the future, maybe you could do research on why the gym isn't open longer to student use, or find ways to encourage the University to open its doors for longer during the day to increase its availability to students living on North Campus.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very informative and persuading. Have you thought of getting involved to either change the hours of the Alumni Gym or inform others about the gym?
ReplyDelete