Garco converts Martin Centre space for training center

Journal of Business, Sep 25, 2008 by Gustafson, Jeanne

Garco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is working on a $1 million project at Gonzaga University to convert part of the school's Martin Centre athletic facility into a training center.

The contractor is transforming a 5,000-square-foot space that formerly housed a dance studio into a training center with offices for Gonzaga's five athletic trainers, as well as two therapy pools and a new specialized treadmill, says Steve DeLong, Gonzaga's head athletic trainer. Martin Centre is an 83,000-square-foot structure that includes two basketball or volleyball courts, locker rooms, other space devotedto training, and athletic department offices.

The project began in July and should be completed next month, DeLong says. He says the university's Rudolf Fitness Center, located inside Martin Centre, has a dance studio that will be used-tor classes previously held in the space needed for the training center.

The two pools that are being installed are made by HydroWorx, of Middletown, Pa. One of the new pools is about 14 feet long and 7 feet across, and has a treadmill and camera system in it. It's used as a tool in rehabilitating injured athletes because it reduces the force on the athletes' legs. The camera system includes a monitor mounted in front of the pool that will allow the trainer and the athlete to see the athlete running or walking on the treadmill to correct problems with leg mechanics, he says. DeLong says the treadmill also will be used to add resistance for training purposes. He says it will help the trainers get injured athletes reconditioned faster following an injury.

The other HydroWorx pool that Garco is installing is called the Polar Plunge. It will be a 9-foot-long, 7-foot wide jetted tub that will be set at a temperature of about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. DeLong says the pool will be used for quick cooldowns after workouts and to help reduce swelling for athletes with injuries. He says Martin Centre already has a jetted tub, but it's not large enough to accommodate a team of athletes after a workout, and they currently have to take turns, waiting as long as 20 minutes after a workout to get at the pool.

Along with the new pools, Gonzaga also is buying a now version of a specialized treadmill that it already uses. DeLong says. He says it uses a system of bungee cords and a sled, similar to one developed for astronauts to use while on the space station, and which is used to build strength after injuries. He says the athlete lays on the sled and then pushes off from a vertical platform on one end.