Scot Center a huge plus in recruiting game for Wooster coaches
It was in the planning stages.
It was going to be done once the latest rounds of improvements were completed.
It was the next design on the drawing board.
All it was awaiting was board approval.
And, of course, it never happened.
That was the reality on campus, a rumor that had its origins in the 1970s when J. Garber Drushal was president of The College of Wooster. But no more. The urban legend is dead, put to rest by the $30 million Scot Center, a gleaming jewel in the middle of the Wooster campus. The facility, with its six-lane, 200-meter indoor track, new weight rooms and much more, has breathed new life into the campus and is now a destination spot not just because of its newness, but the openness that beckons to students and faculty alike.
None, though, may appreciate it more than the Scot athletic coaches from both a recruiting and practice option, especially given the cold and blustery days of northeastern Ohio.
"It's definitely what we needed," said baseball coach Tim Pettorini, who opens his 31st season on the hill with the team's annual trip to Florida March 11 in LaGrange, Ga. Pettorini has already put it to use with a couple of indoor games – "We're not world-beaters yet," he laughed – but he sees it as a huge plus.
"It's too soon to see any direct results … but I don't see how this can't but help," said Pettorini. "Recruiting-wise, preparation-wise, it can be nothing but a plus for us."
And if anyone knows how long the wait has been it is Pettorini.
"I remember on (former athletic director) Al Van Wie's coffee table he had a model of what it was going to be like when I interviewed," said Pettorini. "That was in the early '80s when I got here. The idea was here a long time – to see it come to fruition, I'm excited to get in and get to work and see some of the benefits from it."
With the building only officially opening on Jan. 15, "we haven't had that many recruits in yet," he added. "We have a couple of big weekends coming up. The kids here before saw it before it was completed and were obviously impressed and they liked that they saw. We had a camp over break where we brought in prospective student-athletes and it wasn't even open yet. One of the kid's mothers works at Oberlin and she was raving about it. She said, 'We don't have anything like this,' and you know Oberlin's facilities are pretty good.
"I think we have to give everyone credit. They did it right. It will be great for students, be great for athletics and great for Wooster long after I'm gone."
It's hard to imagine any program being impacted more than the track and field program, which goes from nothing to having a "wow" factor.
"We host three home (indoor) meets and next year we're going to host the (North Coast Athletic Conference) championships," said Dennis Rice, who has been at Wooster 27 years and head coach for the past 23. "We're doing things now that have never been able to be done. We will take full advantage of this facility, not just for practice but hosting meets through the course of the year."
One big change is moving practices – some from 10 p.m. to midnight at Wooster High School and others throughout the day at the college's Timken Physical Education Center -- to the Scot Center, where the entire team practices from 4-6 p.m.
"And when the whole thing finishes at 6 p.m.," noted Rice, "(the Scot Center) gets packed with students and whomever else is on campus to workout or play basketball or Frisbee. It's great for the whole college community."
While there are 84 women and men on the two teams, "I see our numbers getting higher," said Rice. "To have those numbers coming into a season without a facility to go to (in the past), a facility like this will only enhance our numbers … and help attract some fine student-athletes who will make an impact in our conference.
"A lot of people have said to me, 'I didn't know you existed as a track and field team,' and I've told them we've had one forever," said Rice. "You make things work. When we first started going to the high school at 10, it didn't seem like that big a deal. But going year after year, as kids have changed, people would come on campus and prospects would say, 'That doesn't make sense. Why go to the high school? Why not do it on campus?' Well, we don't have the facility.
"Now we do. … This is a comfortable place to be in terms of the whole setting."
Football coach Mike Schmitz called the Scot Center "absolutely phenomenal."
"I commend everyone who was involved in the planning and execution of the building," said Schmitz. "You can use a lot of superlatives and adjectives – it is absolutely phenomenal. (President) Grant Cornwell's vision of the building and getting it done is to be commended. What makes the building so great is it has something for every student on campus to take advantage of and to enjoy. I know the research was done with that in mind and with very diligent planning – you can see the net result of that.
"It's a facility everyone on campus can enjoy. I think again the planning and execution of the design is phenomenal – it blows you away. The same experience we've had is the same when we bring families on campus for visits. They are so impressed with the structure, the beauty, the functionality – everything about it. It's got something for everyone. That's really the motivation so everyone can use it and be proud of it.
"It so enhances everything, the beauty that already exists on campus," he added. "Another feature is it ties everything together. … How it translates will be an on-going process. Obviously it's very easy to talk with potential students and prospects about our great academics and how a degree from Wooster will truly distinguish them. That's well documented. … All the accolades and all the distinctions are here – that is in place. Then they see campus proper and the beauty of the campus and its size and architecture. Then they go to the Scot Center and see the beauty of that and the thoughtful way it was constructed and how it ties in to the rest of the campus. Everybody on campus has an opportunity to take advantage of this great structure. There is something there for everybody."
Women's soccer coach Dave "Gordie" Brown certainly agrees.
"Having been here for 20-plus years, we are super excited to have this facility for everybody," said Brown, who has been head coach at Wooster 21 years. "Not just for our team, but the students and to recruit on campus. Right now, places like this are more popular than student unions. We're seeing all kinds of kids over here and having a chance to do all kinds of activities is wonderful.
"With our program, it is super to have an indoor track and courts to have a place to play futsal or soccer, the indoor cardio stations, a re-done weight room. The College made a huge commitment to everyone and our athletes have a renewed excitement about the place. We're enjoying the benefits of that now."
It has enhanced the recruiting by "how it has created a buzz on campus and how it has created an excitement," said Brown.
"As you know, people and the atmosphere here sell The College of Wooster," said Brown. "When you create a buzz and excitement on campus, with fun stuff to do, that is what people pick up on. Wooster is all about relationships, a friendly face and for people to feel welcome to be here. When they were creating (the Scot Center), they were looking to create this kind of an environment, a place to go and throw Frisbees or shoot hoops. We're in the offseason and people are kicking the ball around. They are doing something they want, which we couldn't do in the past.
"We wanted to tie things together and make it so it is not just a destination place, but a place for students to hang out in the lobby," he added. "There is a lot of furniture and it has informal spaces, but there are formal spaces downstairs where you can have big meetings in nice settings. The architects and planning people all did a great job to tie it in so it is more than just a big box where people go run around a track. That's what a lot universities and colleges have.
"We were fortunate that the people involved had a vision that was much more than that."
Softball coach Lori Schimmel has been a part of earlier designs and is happy to see the process completed.
"I've been here 13 years and been here for the architects and potential plans," said Schimmel. "The talk has always created a buzz and to actually see it completed makes everyone smile."
What she appreciates about the Scot Center is the openness of the building, which helps to enhance the relationship appeal that Brown talked about.
"I think part of the appeal is in the architecture," she said. "A student can be in Lowry and there is a lot of glass on one side of the building. They can see their friends or see that a track meet is going on and think, 'Let me check out the meet or go see my friends.' It's not just for the athletes – it's for the whole student body, which is just as important. This is who this is for – every student. Whatever your interests are, everyone has an interest in the facility."
She's well aware that a critical piece of any college coach's job is getting people on campus and then getting them to stay for four years.
"That's the obvious piece," said Schimmel. "You go past the facility and go, 'Wow.' It's beautiful from the outside, but then you go inside and see the nuts and bolts of what the facility has to offer. It's state of the art compared to a lot of schools, especially a lot of the small schools that our kids look at. This is one of the best.
"Now we don't have to travel to the high school and be able to give our teams the best opportunity to become better on the field. We can set up an infield … and move the bases accordingly to work on the left side or right side of the field. We don't have to bring the bases in to 30 field and envision what (plays) might be. Space. That's the biggest word. We have space."
And it's not just the space, but also the thinking that went into the building.
"That's very important," she added. "If we were going to do it, do it right. I believe that was the aim they were going for. Let's get it done and put the money into it and have a facility so in 10 years we're not wishing we had done something else. It was important to listen to the coaches, ask for suggestions.
"Taking everything into account, they put together an awesome product."
Published: February 5, 2012
