In the new Lincoln building, students now have access to state-of-the-art training facilities– a new gym, weight room and training room.  

Last year, student-athletes were confined to rigid practice schedules due to a lack of training facilities, often forcing teams to practice at inconvenient hours. Athletic Director Jessica Russell was intentional when planning for the new space. 

“The key behind everything was to maximize the space. We wanted to make sure kids wouldn’t have to come in at six in the morning or leave as late as 10 or 10:30 at night. We wanted to make sure the most number of athletes could practice on sight during normal waking hours,” Russell said.  

With the sizes of training facilities increasing, Russell is hoping for student turnout in sports to increase as well, especially because Lincoln enrollment is increasing.

“I hope we have more students who join and/or stick with sports. I think a lot of students are turned away by early or late practice times. Freshman basketball boys used to have to tryouts at six in the morning and I know there must have been students who didn’t join tryouts because they didn’t want to do that,”Russell said. 

Returning athletes are excited about the new facilities. Sophomore Drew Stanton is a varsity water polo player and is looking forward to training in the new weight room.

“I enjoy the new equipment in the weight room compared to the old and broken equipment and the quality of the racks,” Stanton said.

Spanning three courts wide, Lincoln’s gymnasium has tripled in size compared to the gym in the old building. More bleacher space can allow over 1,600 students to fit into the gym, enlarging the student section by hundreds. 

The communal aspect of a sports game is important to Sophomore Tessa Segal, a varsity volleyball player, who feels more connected with her peers in the new gym.

“Home games feel much more special because the bleachers come out far and can hold so many more people. My team and I feel more confident in this gym, and can practice and play better overall,” Segal said.