Wells Fargo Sports Complex reopens after first update in 37 years

Second floor rec options open now; ground floor opens Sept. 14

Here's one amazing fact: the Wells Fargo Sports Complex has not been renovated since it opened to serve a small community college campus in 1978.

Here's another: The ice making equipment used for almost four decades came used, purchased from the Municipality's Ben Boeke Ice Arena. Can you spell frugal?

This summer's $10 million update was long overdue, covering repairs and necessary maintenance-new ventilation and fire safety systems, new energy-efficient LED lighting, built-in wiring for fitness equipment and, yes, a new ice-making plant for the rink. This all comes out of the university's deferred maintenance budget. The WFSC has been on that list for years, waiting its turn.

Most visibly, the revamp created new space for campus recreational fitness and more time and space for intramural sports. Returning the WFSC to rec use was high on Athletic Director Keith Hackett's agenda.

"A major part of the college experience means fitness facilities to burn off steam, get in a convenient workout between classes, play some intramurals," said Hackett. "Now UAA has that, on the east and west end of campus."

Let there be light

The old rec fitness room was a windowless warren carved out of discarded racquetball courts on the WFSC lower level. Until the Alaska Airlines Center opened last year, it was long the only rec fitness spot on campus, crowded and frequently closed for class and athletic use only.

Now, a walk along the sports complex upper deck showcases a bright new workout space, right in the flow of campus foot traffic. What was once closed-in office space is now airy and open. Nearly floor-to-ceiling windows let the sun stream in.

The space features wall-to-wall cardio (treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper) and weight machines (legs, arms, back-all the usual). An adjoining room has gear for stretching, box-jumping, medicine ball and more. A second room downstairs near the ice rink has become the heavy-lifting weight room, for both campus rec and academic use.

Like the fitness center at the AAC, these spaces are for all Seawolves, available with a Wolfcard to students and to UAA community members (staff, faculty and alumni) for a $55/semester use fee. That gets you access to rec facilities at both WFSC and AAC.

Rec users will remember the old issue cage downstairs-where you'd get a red raffle ticket to swim? The cage is still there, but instead of a red ticket, you'll be issued a wristband that gets you access to all the facilities in the building. Roam as much as you please.

The men's and women's locker rooms (complete with saunas), as well as the swimming pool, will reopen unchanged. The only delay may be a few extra days to certify and train lifeguards.

Intramurals get more time, more space

Julie Weber, director of intramurals and a Seawolf volleyball and basketball alum, is busier than ever. Opening the AAC and remodeling the WFSC has cracked open intramural opportunities.

When she started in the '90s, Julie said she usually had two nights of intramurals a week, 7-10 p.m. She could remember teams desperate for space using APU's gym. Regional league rules required visiting teams to fit in a practice before facing the Seawolves. It all meant cramped space.

Now, WFSC is hopping four nights a week, with simultaneous competitions over at the AAC...."I might have soccer over here, volleyball over there," Weber said.

Between 500 and 700 students engage in intramurals each semester, she said, all for a flat $10 fee per sport that guarantees full access to teams and T-shirts for league champions.

Hockey gets a home

A second goal for the remodel was to better organize team space for UAA's Div. 1 hockey team. To that end, the new Brush Christiansen Hockey Center (named after the first coach and founding father of Seawolf hockey) is located downstairs near the rink, in what was once those abandoned racquetball courts/turned windowless fitness center. When the recreational cardio and weight machines moved upstairs, hockey moved in.

A  community  campaign, called the Building Futures Fundraising Campaign, is underway in part to furnish the hockey center and curate and produce a Seawolf hockey history wall. Hockey alumni are invited to share game and player images for consideration on the wall, due by September 11.

The team room, where athletes will eat pre-game meals, study between classes and review game and training videos with their coach, is an anchor of the center. A hydro recovery room with built-in hot and cold tubs replaced old freestanding units. Old lockers were moved in and refurbished; hockey alum are invited to contribute to the campaign and have their name, year and hometown listed on a locker.

Two additional inspiration walls are going up: one for all former UAA players signed with NHL teams; the second wall will honor Anchorage locals who played or are playing in the NHL. Even if they didn't play for UAA, they probably practiced and trained at our rink, right? Alaska pride!

The Seawolves make a soft debut Sunday afternoon, Oct. 4 with a community meet and greet. Visit the new hockey center at 3 p.m., watch the  team scrimmage at 4 p.m. Bring the kids to skate with the 'wolves at 4:45 p.m.

Tuned up rink, new ice-maker

You can't skate unless there's ice. Repairs and patches had kept the old ice-making equipment running for decades, but "it was band-aided so many times," said Alan Piccard, a 27-year UAA employee and current WFSC building manager, "you'd be hard pressed to find anything original in the unit."

A new ice compressor weighing 32,000 pounds just arrived August 27 by truck from Calgary. It sits outside the skate arena on a new pad of cement. Piccard watched the massive box arrive last week, swinging by crane around a tight corner at the back of the WFSC.

Some of the other old systems didn't keep working as well as that old ice plant. Rink piping, laid within the original concrete floor, failed about dozen years ago. A spot went bad right in the middle of the rink.

"It happened in October," right at the start of the season, recalled Piccard. "It was either tear up the whole floor to fix it, or lay down new piping on top of the concrete." That's what they did. Currently, workers are incorporating sand around this piping to offer more security. Once the pipes are covered, the sand will be soaked and frozen-making for a very solid surface. A thin layer of fresh ice for skating will spread on top of that.

The refurbished ice will be called The Chuck Homan Ice Rink. Chuck and Terry Homan made the first gifts in the hockey center fundraising campaign, but there's also a bit of history here.

Back in the 1970s, Chuck and other local hockey fans fought for an on-campus ice rink-taking their petition to the Legislature and Board of Regents. The athletic ticket office over at the Alaska Airlines Center is named after Terry, an alumna (BA 1988) who served as box office manager until she retired in 2002.

The journey begins here

With an eye toward improving prospective students first experiences with UAA, New Student Recruitment will occupy space on the ground floor of the Wells Fargo Sports Center.  Joining New Student Recruitment will be the newly merged Academic Advising and Career Development Center, which integrates advising services located at the University Center with the Career Services Center in Rasmuson Hall.

The goal of the new center is to put UAA's best foot forward in welcoming potential new students. It should enhance the college-to-career experience by helping  students create a strategic four-year or two-year career development plan, depending on the degree they seek.

"Imagine something like the new Alumni Center now in the library," said Bruce Schultz, vice chancellor for student affairs. "What better way to introduce prospective students to UAA than within the hubbub of our Student Union."

You may think you know the old Wells Fargo, but you better come by for a personal look-see. Mark your calendar: Sept. 14 is opening day.

By Kathleen McCoy, Office of University Advancement