The W provides many options for women’s athletics - Winter 2008 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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The W provides many options for women’s athletics

by Kaci Hanson ’08

Competition always has been the name of the game, whether it’s on the court or in admissions offices.

Wartburg looks to score in recruitment with The W. And it’s no longer a battle of the sexes for machines or facilities, because The W features weights, trainers and facilities specific to female student-athletes.

Women’s basketball coach Bob Amsberry believes the updated facilities help his team keep up with the nature of college basketball and staying competitive with recruiting.

Like other women’s sports, the basketball team uses the arena, weight room, athletic training room and Center Court, the auxiliary gym. They are the only women’s athletic team with their own locker room, too. The dual team locker room includes wooden lockers and a mounted television on the wall to watch game tapes.

Q&A with volleyball All-American
Ashley Rogers ’08 of Dubuque, Iowa

What sport(s) are you involved in at Wartburg?
Softball and volleyball

From an athletic perspective, what is your favorite feature of The W?
I love playing in Levick Arena, because the crowd noise echoes off the walls; it’s an unbelievable atmosphere.

What do you feel are the major differences in your sport from the old wellness center to the new one?
Volleyball has a larger area for practice, not to mention the only drop–down net in the conference.
For softball, the larger Field House and the addition of the auxiliary gym, multiple teams and sports are going to be able to practice at the same time, which means teams won’t have to practice so late at night.

Does The W give Wartburg female student-athletes an edge over those from other schools?
With an athletic weight room, an auxiliary gym, Levick Arena and Field House, female student-athletes will have plenty of space for team practice and to work on individual skills at the same time.

How will your athletic career be different from those of incoming female student-athletes who will have access to the facility all four years?
Finding space to do off-season workouts was always a challenge during my athletic career. However, incoming female student-athletes will have access to The W. The additional space and athletic weight room of The W will improve off season workouts and student-athletes will be in better shape and prepared when entering their seasons.

The biggest relief for Amsberry’s squad is finally having a court to call home. After a year of traveling to Cedar Falls for home games, his team has plenty of hoops to practice its game. It all has built up to the excitement that echoed at its first home games this year.

“The atmosphere we have here with home games is better than what other people have,” he said.
Volleyball coach Jennifer Walker agrees. The Wartburg home volleyball tournament was the first event that took place in Levick Arena.

“We had a great crowd, and the arena carried the noise really well,” she said. “It was fun to be a part of that moment.”

Her team will use the Field House and Aquatics Center for conditioning. A couple of unique features in the arena for volleyball are the drop–down game net and a female strength and conditioning coach.

For coaches, the most welcomed improvement at The W is the additional practice courts. Walker also enjoys the better lighting and higher ceiling to avoid interference with any play.

Tennis coach Ben Oestreich is most excited about the indoor tennis courts, which will play more “true” because they offer a tennis surface instead of the old basketball surface. This will have the greatest impact on how his team practices and prepares for competition.

“The biggest difference will be seen in a few years after our student-athletes have been able to utilize the facility year-round,” he said. “After a few seasons of continuous hitting, hopefully our team record will reflect our efforts.”

Oestreich finds his team’s competitive edge in the additional staff and facilities for supervised off-season workouts.

“This helps our team continue to build its bodies as well as the team chemistry as they work out together throughout the year.”

With the new facilities creating equal practice time for both men and women’s sports, women’s athletic coaches anticipate great improvements in their programs.

“The W has the potential to help our women’s tennis team reach new heights, with increased court time and fitness facilities,” Oestreich said. “It’s fantastic to remove obstacles to success. The W can do more than remove an obstacle; it can give us a leg up.”

Amsberry agrees. “The facilities are really incredible,” he said. “It’s awesome to be able to walk out of my office and into practice.”