On the morning of May 2, the usually bustling Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) was oppressingly silent. The club, a popular destination for student athletes at Lincoln, was blocked with police tape and guarded by security.
At 3 a.m. that day, former employee Bruce Whitman drove a car loaded with over 30 pounds of explosives into the MAC entrance located on SW Salmon a block from Lincoln High School.
According to KGW, the resulting detonation killed the driver and caused extensive damage to the MAC, which shut down for repairs. No other people were injured. The damage included smoke and water damage.
The MAC did not respond to requests for comment.
Many students regularly used the MAC’s facilities to train for sports including swimming, basketball and tennis. Other students used the courts and additional training spaces to prepare for their sports in the off season.
Freshman Caroline Pitman, who has been visiting the MAC since she was five years old, described the private athletic club as a tight knit and welcoming environment.
“I love how I seem to know everyone there and it’s kind of like a little community,” said Pitman.
Junior Isabella Tolba frequents the club to work out and lift weights. Her favorite thing about the MAC was being able to see her friends.
“[It was] a nice place to go if you had nowhere else to go,” said Tolba. “It’s a really good place if you use all the facilities.”
Students were shocked by the bombing. Lucas Kugel, a member of the swim team, said that the closure of the MAC had a significant impact on his daily life.
“It’s pretty horrible,” said Kugel. “We’re actually pretty lucky that it didn’t happen while [many] people were in the MAC.”
After the MAC’s closure, the swim team had to find other places to practice.
“We had to outsource our pool time,” said Kugel. “We have to drive to different clubs around Portland.”
Kugel said that while clubs like the West Hills Racquet Club and the Beaverton Aquatic Club allowed swimmers to practice with them, it was still inconvenient.
The MAC plans on reopening in phases, starting with a limited opening.
“It’s going to take so long to get it back to where it used to be,” said Pitman.
