On Jan. 20, the Penn community celebrated the 20th anniversary of the David S. Pottruck Health & Fitness Center. To much fanfare, the facility officially opened on Jan. 17, 2003.
With help from a spotter, the Penn Quaker works on his pecs in the second-floor weight room at the David S. Pottruck Health & Fitness Center on Friday, Jan. 20.
The Penn community came together on Jan. 20 for a birthday bash celebrating the 20th anniversary of the David S. Pottruck Health & Fitness Center. The jamboree, held at the Pottruck Center at 3701 Walnut St., featured birthday cake, a DJ, tours and demos of the facility, prizes, and free T-shirts for the first 500 attendees.
Named after principal donor, alumnus, and former University Trustee David S. Pottruck—who was also standout wrestler, linebacker, and nose guard—the Pottruck Center combined the extant Gimbel Gymnasium with a new four-story tower to create a 120,000-square foot structure offering cardiovascular, weight training, and fitness equipment, a 40-foot climbing wall, an indoor golf simulator, and studio space with hardwood floors for dance, martial arts, aerobics, and spinning. The site also features the Jon M. Avnet basketball courts, the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Fitness Center, Bill and Louis Meiklejohn Way, and Sheerr Pool.
The Pottruck Center had a soft opening on Sept. 9, 2002, before its official grand opening on Jan. 17, 2003. According to the Sept. 10, 2002, issue of the Daily Pennsylvanian, students “clamored all day” for spots on treadmills in the new and improved cardiovascular center, very much pleased that they no longer had to wait in long lines for the machines, as was required at Gimbel and Hutchinson gymnasiums before Pottruck was built. Students were also excited about the upgraded weight room, the three full-length basketball courts, and the addition of central air conditioning.
In honor of the Pottruck Center’s two decades, enjoy sights from its birthday bash.
Three members negotiate the 40-foot climbing wall at the Pottruck Center on Friday, Jan. 20. The Pottruck Center averages around 2,050 users a day, 90 percent of whom are students.
Members shoot hoops on the Jon M. Avnet basketball courts at the Pottruck Center on Friday, Jan. 20. The Pottruck Center offers intramural and club sports. “We have 33 varsity teams, but we have 34 active sport clubs, so you’re almost doubling the amount of students involved in athletics,” says Erica Hildenbrand, director of campus outreach for Penn Athletics and Recreation.
From left, Athletic Director Alanna Shanahan, Roxanne Goldman, alumnus Aaron Goldman, Harriet Goldman, alumna Stephanie Pottruck Goldman, President Liz Magill, and the Penn Quaker at the Pottruck Center birthday bash on Friday, Jan. 20. Stephanie is the daughter of David Pottruck and Aaron is his son-in-law; Roxanne, age 13, and Harriet, age 11, are their children.
Members lift weights in the second-floor weight room at the Pottruck Center on Friday, Jan. 20. Hildenbrand says the second-floor weight room, the basketball courts, and Sheerr Pool are the most popular places in the Pottruck Center.
During the Pottruck Center birthday bash on Friday, Jan. 20, President Liz Magill greets Kozi, a seven-month old Dutch Shepherd from the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, which touches the Penn Quaker’s heart.
Morgen Rosen (second from left), coordinator of fitness & wellness at Penn Campus Recreation, hands out T-shirts during the Pottruck Center birthday bash on Friday, Jan. 20. Rosen says the primary mission of the Pottruck Center is to provide fitness and wellness opportunities to the Penn community for the benefit of their physical and mental health. “Between workout classes and rock climbing, the swimming pool, and golf, we’re always trying to find something that could cater to any individual on this campus, and get them out of their bubbles and bring them somewhere where they can socialize and sweat, and most importantly, just have fun,” she says.
President Liz Magill, left, and Erica Hildenbrand, director of campus outreach for Penn Athletics and Recreation. Oftentimes, says Hildenbrand, people come to the Pottruck Center because they want to change their physical body, “but what happens is they grow their self-confidence, which improves their emotional wellbeing, or they make changes internally because they gain that strength and empowerment through exercise. If you feel strong in your body, you probably feel a little bit stronger to tackle something in your mind or to speak up for yourself.”
President Liz Magill poses with students at the Pottruck Center birthday bash on Friday, Jan. 20. The Pottruck Center offers programming for all ages and skill levels. In 2018, College Consensus ranked the Pottruck Center as the second-best campus recreation facility in the country.
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