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Mike Kharazian (right), third-year student, lifts weights in the temporary weight room in the Woo

Mustering up the willpower to just walk into the gym can seem like half the battle. At UCLA, waiting once you get there has all too frequently been the other half.

But with Wooden West, the Wooden Recreation Center’s 10,000 square foot addition set to open by Labor Day, the workout itself should be the only challenge students face once they swipe their BruinCard through.

“I’m so excited,” daily cardio user Lauren Kornmann said. “I used to go to (UC) Irvine’s gym because the Wooden Center didn’t fit the size of our campus.”

The approximately $12 million expansion project was approved in 2000 when students passed the Student Programs, Activities, and Resource Complex referendum that will increase student fees $10 per quarter beginning in fall. Additional funding from the 2002 senior class gift and recreation department reserves will help the current weight room triple in size and feature 42 new machines and 28 new plate-loaded equipment. The expanded area will also include 17 treadmills, 15 ellipticals, 20 bikes and other new cardio equipment. It all comes as good news for the over 1.2 million people who entered the Wooden Center this past year only to find compact spacing or wait for some of the equipment they wanted to use.

“I had to work close to some really, really sweaty people,” frequent weightlifter Jerry Yu said.

More than just runners and weightlifters will benefit from the expansion. An outdoor adventure resource center is being added onto the first floor to serve as a meeting place for a diverse group that takes upward of 140 trips each year.

“UCLA’s been behind the curve,” said Shane Reynolds, assistant director in charge of outdoor recreation, noting that other UC’s have had similar viable centers for over 30 years. “This will help promote outdoor recreation and a healthier lifestyle all around.”

Besides serving as a meeting space, Reynolds hopes the department can offer free evening seminars on topics ranging from back-country cooking to bicycle repair. The center will also offer rental equipment and resources such as maps for students looking to plan their own outdoor trips.

“As the program has grown, there has been an impetus for a rental program,” Reynolds said. “We’ve had to send students out to Sports Chalet on weekends, and sometimes they’ve run out of equipment.”

The opening of the Outdoor Resource Center and the overall expansion of the Wooden Center itself reflects the increased popularity of the recreation department on campus.

When it first opened in 1983, the Wooden Center was one of the first state-of-the-art facilities for students. But in recent years its popularity has exceeded its capacity.

“The increased interest in cardio and weight-training has overgrown the expectations since (the Wooden Center) first opened,” said Dan Wax, who served as the Wooden Center’s director for 19 years and is now the corporate and community relations director.

In July 2002, a 25,000 square foot addition on the North End provided increased room for a locker room, offices and fitness areas. Two years later, this newest expansion will complete the tall task of accommodating a student body focused both on their fitness and grades.

“I can’t concentrate on my studies unless I’ve gone to the gym,” Kornmann said.

The expanded Wooden Center will also house an Energy Zone Convenience Store that will sell healthy snacks and recreation merchandise. Besides the Hilltop shop near the dorms, the Energy Zone will be the only on-campus convenience store open past 7 p.m. With the Wooden Center open until 11:45 p.m. on weekdays, students can make late nights on campus a healthy habit.

“It’s one of the most accessible buildings on campus,” Director of Cultural and Recreational Affairs Mick Deluca said. “It’s a great place for stress relief and to meet new people.”