In the summer of 2020, the athletic department began a project that would expand the weight room in the varsity athletic center. According to Barry Fried, the athletics director at Viterbo, the original plan for this weight room renovation was given the green light by President Temple early spring semester.
The original weight room was too small for the number of athletes on campus according to Fried. The plan to expand the weight room would bring it from 900 square feet to 2500 square feet. Due to the pandemic, $60,000 for new equipment was cut from the budget. The renovation plan was in danger of being scrapped due to a lack of funds on the school’s side.
This ended up working in their favor as they would have to properly distance the machines in order to properly abide by the CDC guidelines. Despite losing the budget for the new equipment, Fried was able to raise enough money at the annual golf fundraiser to order some of the equipment that he wanted. He spent the fundraising money on new racks which would allow more diversity for workouts. The new weight room was successfully renovated, but not without some unexpected expenses, which Fried and the athletic department helped pitch in to make this new weight room possible.
The renovations for the new weight room cost an estimated $120,000 for just the expansion. The original budget included 60,000 dedicated to new equipment. The new weight room has guidelines that are put in place to keep all of the athletes safe, such as constant cleaning. Fried believes “This new space will help us better serve our athletes and help improve performances, this is going to be a game-changer.” This weight room is a big investment for the athletic department and Fried has high hopes that this will help better the student-athlete experience here at Viterbo.
