Wartburg College will upgrade key areas of the Ohle Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center, the facility built through an innovative partnership between Wartburg College and the city of Waverly, the college announced recently.
The updates to the facility, also known as The W, are tied to a $5 million Community Wellness & Recreation fundraising initiative.
Since 2008, The W has offered transformative recreational opportunities for thousands of patrons of all ages, abilities and interests from across campus, throughout the Cedar Valley and around the Midwest. Wartburg has partnered with the city of Waverly to deliver needed programming to the community while creating invaluable experiential-learning opportunities for students.
“For nearly two decades, the Ohle Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center has stood as a shining example of what can be accomplished when a college and community join forces with a shared vision,” said Sheila Kittleson, The W’s executive director.
In 2023-24, The W served:
• 142,000 total visitors.
• 3,669 nonstudent members.
• Youth and adults through 60 community rec programs.
• 450 youth for swim lessons.
“The W is something very unique that you just don’t find anywhere else. I come here about every day — I call it ‘my time,’” said Greg Stockdale, a community member of The W. Most of these recreational services, attended by nearly 900 children in 2023-24, are delivered in The W and adjacent Walston-Hoover Stadium. Both of those facilities are in need of upgrades to continue serving both Wartburg’s campus and the Waverly community.
Those updates include:
• Resurfacing the Hoover Fieldhouse & Track.
• Updating equipment for the swimming pool, vortex pool, sauna and hot tub in the Schuldt Natatorium.
• Resurfacing Walston-Hoover Stadium’s outdoor track.
• Replacing the Zimmerman Field turf.
• Upgrading the climbing wall.
• Modernizing the weight and cardio equipment.
When these upgrades are complete, the new outdoor track will be named in honor of Marcus Newsom, director of track and field and cross country and an assistant athletic director. The tunnel leading from The W onto Zimmerman Field will be named in honor of former football head coach Rick Willis, Wartburg’s vice president for strategic recruitment.
Gifts to the Community Wellness & Recreation initiative will ensure that:
• Seniors continue to have accessible, affordable fitness options.
• Children develop lifelong wellness habits through quality programming.
• Families have a safe, welcoming place to play and grow together.
• Community members with unique needs receive targeted wellness support.
The Community Wellness & Recreation initiative is part of Our Brightest Days: The Campaign for Realizing Purpose & Leading Change, Wartburg’s $36 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.
For more information about these upgrades and how to support the Community Wellness & Recreation initiative, go to www.wartburg.edu/wellness.