SCIAC News

Cal Lutheran's Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center Cleared for Full Occupancy
Other Athletics Complex facilities progressing
August 3, 2006

THOUSAND OAKS, CA - After years of planning, months of construction and hours spent on finishing touches, it took only minutes to hear those two final, powerful words, "It's Open."

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, at 5 p.m., the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center at California Lutheran University was given a final clearance for full and unrestricted occupancy by the City of Thousand Oaks.

The 96,000-square-foot facility houses two major gymnasiums (including a 1,500-seat main gym), the Lundring Events Center, a fitness center, a dance studio, classrooms and labs, a sports medicine facility, the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame, the CLU Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame, and offices for faculty, staff and coaches.

Several events are already set to take place in the Center's Lundring Events Center before the fall semester starts on Aug. 30. The Kingsmen football team will be arriving on campus Aug. 18, followed by the men's and women's soccer and volleyball teams on Aug. 25, and the men's and women's cross country and men's water polo and teams on Aug. 28.

Within the next two weeks, the building will be completely ready for action with the installation of taping and treatment centers in the training room and fitness equipment in the fitness center.

Although the Gilbert Center is ready for action, other parts of the Athletics Complex project are still under construction. Samuelson Aquatics Center and the Ullman Baseball Stadium are currently being built. The pool is slated for completion in January 2007. The 300-seat Ullman Stadium will be finished by the start of the 2007 baseball season.

The Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center will be dedicated during a special public ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 11 a.m. The dedication event will include entertainment, remarks from honored guests and tours of the state-of-the-art facility.

For more information about the CLU Athletics Complex or the dedication of the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, please contact Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director, at (805) 493-3153 or e-mail her.