NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ATHLETIC COMPLEX By Mike Catano Thanks to the support of Exeter alumni, the Academy completed two athletic facilities projects on the south campus that have had an immediate and positive impact on the entire Exeter community.
Downer Family Fitness Center gets a workout Built on the ground floor of Thompson Gym, the much-anticipated new fitThe Downer family: Nick ‘06, Caroline ‘07, ness center has a generous 9,000 square feet of open space; a turf space Tony ‘75, Amy ‘75 and Chris ‘06. for multi-direction drills and agility training; 38 pieces of cardiovascular equipment, such as stationary bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills; 12 power racks with Olympic platforms accompanied by free weights; and Keiser air resistance machines. Popular additions include a music system, TVs, and video technology to enhance training. The fitness center was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Downer family, which includes Trustee John “Tony” Downer ’75; his wife, Amy Chan Downer ’75; and their children, Caroline Downer ’07, Chris Downer ’06 and Nick Downer ’06. The new center triples the space of the former weight room located in Love Gym, which was built in 1970. In recent years, strength and conditioning has shifted away from universal The fitness center offers a weight machines that work on isolated muscle groups to more complete training circuit. athletic movements, gross motor activity and multi-joint exercises. This required more space — for the heavily used Olympic lifting stations (barbells) and the large turf area. Rob Morris, football coach and former athletic director, and Strength and Conditioning Coach Andrea Sweet developed their vision for a new fitness center after visiting some of the best New England facilities at the college and prep school level, including Division I Boston College and Springfield College. Sweet, whose office is adjacent to the exercise area for accessibility to students, says the new facility “lets us coach to a higher level,” and she adds, “It is so rewarding to see this project come to fruition.”
Hatch Field sees early season action Located behind Phelps Stadium, the new synthetic turf field — named after Norman “Hatchie” Hatch, who was considered Exeter’s “father of lacrosse” — is now available as a secondary artificial playing surface to help offset the demands placed on the eight-year-old turf in Phelps Stadium. Hatch Field’s larger size supports multiple practices simultaneously, which allows for greater ease in scheduling team practices and interscholastic games. Athletic Director Shane LaPointe is thrilled that the increased capacity allowed Exeter to host a field hockey jamboree in September. “We could fit four teams comfortably around the venue and conduct a safe tournament,” Girls field hockey playing on the new turf. she says, “and trainers and spectators could access the field easily.” Use of Hatch Field will vary with the athletic seasons with field hockey leading the fall schedule. Boys and girls lacrosse will be assigned to the turf during springtime, and if weather conditions make the grass fields and diamonds unsuitable for play, the soccer, baseball and softball teams will also relocate to the turf. Athletic team tryouts, fitness classes, the Prep Program and intramural and club teams will also benefit from this additional, consistent playing surface.
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