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The John Wooden Center, shown here in its building phase in 1983, is being used by a record numbe

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The Wooden Center is struggling to fill the high demands of a booming interest in individual work

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The year: 1977. The issue: Whether to build a new, state-of-the-art recreation and exercise facility on campus. When put to referendum, the students overwhelmingly rejected the plan. After all, not too many students worked out in 1977. Fast forward to 1978. In that year, John Wooden decided to endorse the plan and campaigned for it. All of a sudden, the John Wooden Center was born, passing by a landslide after receiving the Wizard of Westwood’s approval. When it finally opened in 1983, no other college campus in the country had such a comprehensive recreational building. The building’s unique design and cutting-edge equipment were the first of their kind in the nation for a college campus. My, how things have changed. Today, the building is considered a bastion of antiquity rather than a modern gym. The weight room is more aptly called the wait room, with overcrowding and lines occurring on a daily basis. And the cardiovascular area isn’t much better, with mandatory time limits and a lack of equipment to accommodate demand, especially during peak hours. “It wasn’t as crowded when it first opened,” said Daniel Wax, manager of the Wooden Center. “But interest in the individual workout routine has blossomed over the past 20 years.” In 1984, 563,810 people entered the Wooden Center. In 2002, that number was 1,057,011, up 87 percent from 1984 and the highest number on record. In fact, in the past 15 years, the number of visitors to the Wooden Center only declined once, in 1994. And that was because of renovations being done after the Northridge earthquake. According to Wax, the weight room currently has a pressing demand for space and equipment. “It is definitely our biggest problem in terms of a need for expansion,” Wax said. “The building was designed in the 1970’s, when weight training was not as pervasive as it is now.” Despite the space and budgetary limitations, Wax and his team are doing all they can to accommodate this high demand. They have turned any open space, including racquetball courts, hallways and even the patio outside the weight room, into additional workout areas. “They have to serve a community of 30,000,” said economics Professor Lee Ohanian, who works out four to five times a week at the Wooden Center. “They do a great job, considering the limited resources.” Ohanian usually works out from the morning or early afternoon to the late afternoon peak hours. “It’s the best way to avoid all of the crowds,” Ohanian said.

Expanding for the Future Fear not, Wooden users. Relief is on the way. The major expansion currently being built, called Wooden West, is expected to open in 2004. It will feature a 10,000 square foot weight room (triple the current size), along with an expanded cardio area, an Outdoor Adventures resource center, and office space. Also, $300,000 worth of new equipment is being purchased in order to fill the space. The equipment currently occupying one of the racquetball courts on the second floor will be moved, freeing up one more court for recreational racquetball play. “I’m really looking forward to the expansion,” Ohanian said. “The (Wooden Center) is incredibly popular.” ••• As part of today’s John Wooden Center Appreciation Day festivities, John Wooden will be giving a speech in the Collins Court at 2:30. The event is open to the public.