Faith Academy two months away from new weight room
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
MARBLE FALLS — In two months, Faith Academy of Marble Falls will open its new weight room housing boys and girls locker rooms and a trainers room in a 4,600-square-foot building.
“We’re excited,” said athletics director and boys head basketball coach Randy Denton. “We’re thankful for the money that has been donated. We’re excited about the opportunity to move forward.”
The projected cost of the building, complete with toilets, showers, a heating-and-cooling system, and trainers tables, is $200,000.
While the weight room will be open in late May, the other rooms won’t be ready until the start of August fall training camps for Flames football and Lady Flames volleyball.
“It depends on funding,” Denton said. “We have to go through donors and fundraising. It’s a process.”
The girls locker room is especially needed since female players currently have to change in classrooms.
Student-athletes at Faith Academy have been without a weight room for several months, though they have made do by putting some weight equipment in the current boys locker room. Denton noted that only 10 players at a time can use the equipment because of space.
The old weight room is about 200 square feet and was located where several of the permanent buildings are now. It is now used for storage.
The new weight room will be 2,236 square feet and have rolled-out rubber across the floor. The concrete floor is already sealed to protect it from cracking.
“We’re definitely excited about the weight room,” Denton said. “It’ll be used by both (boys and girls athletics). To me, it’s the most important thing. Our kids play multiple sports. We need to get it done.”
It doesn’t stop there, he said.
The plan is to move the football team’s practice field to the left of the new building and eventually turn the current practice field into a multipurpose field for football, baseball, and softball games, Denton said. That process will take at least two years.
Officials got the idea for the multipurpose field from Austin Hyde Park, which has a similar setup on its campus, Denton said.
“It’s all in one,” he said. “We’re figuring out what would be the best avenue. I don’t expect it to happen next year.”
jfierro@thepicayune.com