CARY GYM & THE WVU COLISEUM West Virginia gymnastics, a program on the cusp of its fourth decade, is housed in one of the finest practice facilities in the country: Cary Gymnasium, named in honor of the success and contributions of Bray and Dianne Cary. Bray, President and CEO of West Virginia Media Holdings, LLC in Charleston, is a graduate of WVU’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. His wife Dianne, also a WVU graduate, serves on the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors. The Carys have endowed eight scholarships that are given annually to WVU student-athletes. The $1.5 million gymnastics training center was designed exclusively for the use of Mountaineer gymnastics and features the latest in comfort, technology and safety. At 12,000-square feet, the facility is one of the most spacious in the country. But it is the gym’s exclusive design that makes it so functional and practical; all four events have their own landing areas and safety zones, which makes for much more productive and efficient practices. Cary Gym’s list of equipment is impressive: six competition-height balance beams, two low beams, one full-sized floor adjoined by a half-sized floor, two sets of bars, one single rail trainer (positioned over a loose foam pit), a trench bar trainer, three vaults with padded runways, a rod floor and a trampoline. One of the biggest safety features is the positioning of its two loose foam pits. The first is exclusively for the use of vaulters, while the second, much larger pit is positioned so that gymnasts on bars, floor and the rod floor can use it simultaneously without the fear of a collision. The gym also features three foam resi pits adjoining each of the four practice areas. In Cary Gym, gymnasts will also find a fully equipped training room with taping tables and a whirlpool. Next door in the locker room, each gymnast has her own spacious locker. Additionally, flat-screen TVs encompass the gym, allowing the gymnasts to watch their routines back instantaneously. Cary Gym was completed between the 1997 and 1998 seasons. It was a part of former WVU Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong’s $10 million facilities commitment to seven varsity athletic programs. On competition day, the Mountaineers move over to the WVU Coliseum. The Coliseum underwent a vast facelift in 2009, as a new video board, that is comparable to NBA arenas’, was added. Additionally, more lighting was added, as well as a new sound system. These improvements provide the best-possible backdrop for the Mounaineers and enhance the entertainment value for the team’s fans.
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WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY