BATON ROUGE – In what marks another milestone of growth in the program, LSU gymnastics officially cut the ribbon Saturday as part of the grand opening of the brand new training facility on campus.
The fundraising efforts of Tiger Athletic Foundation along with the support of donors, boosters and the LSU Athletics administration made it possible for the gymnastics team to move into its state-of-the-art facility that was designed and constructed exclusively through the use of private donations.
LSU gymnastics head coach D-D Breaux, LSU Vice Chancellor and Athletics Director Joe Alleva, LSU President Dr. F. King Alexander, TAF President and CEO Rick Perry and Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony to usher in a new age of LSU gymnastics.
“This facility is all about excellence, and this gymnastics program represents excellence,” Alleva said at the grand opening. “To put together a facility like this takes a great team, and we have a great team here at LSU. I want to thank all of TAF for their partnership because we could not have done this without them. I want to thank the donors who stepped forward to make this happen.
“Not one state dollar went into funding this facility; it was all through private sources, and we are proud of that. This is a great day for the present and the future. I am excited for all the student-athletes who will take part in using this facility currently and in the future.”
The LSU gymnastics training facility, a stand-alone building, is 38,656 gross square feet that sits directly next to the LSU basketball practice facility and near the Pete Maravich Assembly Center where the gymnastics team competes in home meets.
The training facility contains approximately 18,000 square feet of practice space in the gym area.
The practice area features four competition-style beams, three vault runways with various surfaces for landings, four sets of uneven bars and an oversized floor exercise area to ensure safe training.
In addition to the expansive practice area, the facility houses a team locker room, coaches locker rooms, training room, cardio area, dance studio, team squad room, a video review room with theater seating that also serves as the team meeting room, facility equipment storage and laundry area, a multi-purpose room that can host dinners and team functions and a roof-top terrace complete with an outdoor kitchen.
“For LSU gymnastics – the past, the present and the future – this facility is a crown jewel,” Breaux said. “It’s a monument to the great student-athletes that have been here before. It’s a premier facility, and it will stand tall for those athletes that we will open the doors to now and in the future. When you walk in and see the grandness of this facility, you will realize there is no other like it. This is the finest training center in the world for gymnastics.”
More than 200 guests were on hand to view and explore the new facility after the ribbon cutting.
LSU gymnastics supporters still have the opportunity to donate a brick and/or paver to the new training facility. Supporters can visit www.lsutaf.org/GymnasticsBrick and www.lsutaf.org/GymnasticsPaver to place a donation. All bricks and pavers donated through the program will be placed around the new LSU Gymnastics Training Facility.
For more information on how fans can support LSU philanthropic programs, please visit www.lsutaf.org.
For more information on LSU gymnastics, fans can visit www.LSUsports.net/gymnastics.