The Collegian
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Locker rooms updated behind schedule

Renovations continue for the Robins Center

<p>A newly renovated locker room in the Robins Center. Photo courtesy of the Richmond Athletic Department.</p>

A newly renovated locker room in the Robins Center. Photo courtesy of the Richmond Athletic Department.

The next phase of the $17 million transformation of Richmond’s 42-year-old Robins Center, which began last year with the remodeling of the basketball arena, is nearly complete, but delays to the renovation of seven varsity sport locker rooms have become a frustration for athletes.

The locker rooms for baseball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country and track and field, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer and swimming and diving have all been updated. The locker rooms left out of this renovation project either had been recently renovated or were not located in the Robins Center, said David Walsh, deputy athletic director. Walsh cited a lack of recent modernizations, enhancing recruiting and improving team morale as motivations for renovating the facilities.

The field hockey locker room was scheduled to be completed before preseason began in the second week of August, said Rebecca Barry, field hockey co-captain, but the team had not been able to use the space until Sept. 19, when the Spiders played VCU in the seventh of 17 regular-season games.

“Not having a locker room for a large chunk of the season was a huge inconvenience and kind of annoying, to be honest, because we were just hanging around the corridors of the Robins Center,” Barry said. “But when we found out we could finally go in it we were all so excited. It was a happy coincidence that it was the day we started conference play against cross-town rivals.”

The updates included all-new wooden lockers, surround-sound stereo systems, televisions, showers, bathroom appliances and flooring and a carpet in the main room featuring a large red spider.

“Now it’s a lot more modern and fancier looking,” Barry said. “We’re even more likely to go there now because it’s lovely.” Barry said she believed the changes were necessary because the locker room had not been updated for years, and the team spent a large amount of time there.

Women’s lacrosse players also spend much time in their locker room, however the renovations have discouraged some players from using it as much as they used to.

"Compared to last year, it doesn't feel like our locker room is as unified,” senior Emily Boyce said. “Obviously everything is much newer, cleaner and nicer, but our location was changed so now there's a wall dividing half the room. The carpet is itchy and just doesn't feel like home. I anticipate once everyone moves in for season [in the spring] we will be able to adjust."

The athletic department attempted to ensure the completion of locker rooms for teams in their championship season first, Walsh said, so the players would have been minimally inconvenienced by the delays in construction.

“Our hope was to have it completed prior to the start of classes, but there were some delays as is usually the case in construction,” Walsh said. “We were disappointed that we didn’t quite meet the initial deadline, but at the same time were really pleased with the outcome.”

Ryan Cook, senior co-captain of the baseball team, felt a similar ambivalence about his team’s locker room. The Spider baseball Twitter account announced that the locker room was open on Sept. 29, but the team had still not been permitted to move in because the room had failed inspection, Cook said.

“It makes you realize how much time you spend in the locker room with your teammates,” Cook said. “It stinks having to lug your equipment in and out of your car every day to the field, and no showers after practice. That part literally stinks. But it’s going to be worth the wait.”

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Without a primary bonding space, Cook said it had taken longer to get to know the current class of freshmen, but that the new facility will positively impact the recruiting of future players. He said if he were a visiting recruit, the impressive locker room would be a facet of Richmond that would stand out to him in his decision-making process.

Walsh said all seven locker rooms are “substantially complete,” but Cook has not been updated with a new date for moving in. “The players are kind of in the dark about it,” he said. “We’re just kind of waiting and hoping. Maybe one day we’ll be allowed in our locker room. Hopefully soon.”

Update: By the date of publication the baseball locker room had been opened and the team had been able to fully move in.

Contact Managing Editor Erin Flynn at erin.flynn@richmond.edu

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