St. John Arena got a makeover.
With strict social distancing and health guidelines put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio State desperately needed more space to train its more than 1,000 athletes, so they got a little creative with a historic campus venue.
To meet the space challenge, Ohio State made use of St. John Arena, taking equipment from four different Ohio State satellite strength and conditioning facilities to a big, open arena.
Courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics.
The "SJA Powerhouse," they're calling it, features 27 racks, six complete sets of dumbbells, eight power blocks, four combination cable pulldown-row machines and four glute-hamstring benches.
“It’s awesome how they turned the entire arena into a workout facility for us," senior swimmer Paul DeLakis said in an Ohio State release. "Having so many separate racks, it’s a great chance to work out safely. I want to thank Gene Smith and everybody involved in making this possible. To be able to walk in there and get to work safely is awesome with everything going on during this pandemic.”
To ensure a safe and socially distanced environment, each athlete undergoes a temperature check before entering the facility. Once in the facility, each has their own rack, 10 feet apart, and only share limited machines and dumbbells, with dumbbell racks 15 to 17 feet apart. All strength coaches must wear masks and gloves and disinfect each piece of equipment between groups.
Courtesy of Ohio State Dept. of Athletics.
“We’re so thankful for the amazing opportunity to train at the new St. John Powerhouse," senior rower Rachel DeWitt said in an Ohio State release. "It’s awesome to back with everyone, especially in a place like St. John that holds so much history. I know I speak for the team when I say we are all incredibly grateful.”
