Tom BrandsFor what seems like forever, the Hokies have been stuck in the bottom floor of Cassell Coliseum in a wrestling room too small and dangerous to build a championship program. Gone are the two concrete pillars in the middle of the room in which for years athletes have bounced off of like pinballs, causing trainer Jesse Donnenwerth hours of aggravation in the training room.
What the Hokies have now is a room four times the size of their old room, with two full-sized competition mats, along with room for cardio equipment and weights. The Hokies have 5,264 square-feet of open wrestling space with padded walls and no objects interfering with practice. One mat has a 32-foot circle and one has a 42-foot circle, and several practice circles are spread around the two mats.
"We envision being able to provide individual weights such as dumb bells on mats and exercise bikes, as well as a seating area for spectators and recruits," said Assistant A.D. Jon Jaudon.
The team has been sharing the "back gym" for several weeks with the Hokie volleyball team. The wrestlers would have it for a few days, and then the volleyball team would take it for a few. With basketball under way, the rotation has become more frequent. Once Thanksgiving Break rolls around and the volleyball team can practice in the main gym on Nov. 18, the wrestling team will move in there permanently through the end of this season in March.
"This will eventually become a full-time wrestling room, but when that happens depends on when we get the new field house and basketball facilities built," Jaudon said.
Fans coming to Tech's home matches this year will also notice a new competition mat, with a 42-foot circle (the largest space allowed per NCAA rules) with a new design and logos.
The Hokies are in the midst of preseason training and will open the season on Nov. 12 at the West Virginia Open in Morgantown, W.Va. For more on the Hokies, check out the team preview on hokiesports.com on Nov. 7.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now