GH Tours the Athletes Village - Almost 200 photos and videos here ->

GopherLady

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Daniel House and I were fortunate enough to get a tour with the media today for the Athletes Village, it's nothing short of incredible.

Per Daniel:

The Gophers showed off their brand new $166 million Athletes Village to the media during a tour Saturday morning. Every aspect of the new facility provides upgrades for the athletic programs on campus. The most notable improvement occurred with brand new football and basketball complexes. Minnesota's basketball programs have three levels of the building and football has a separate complex with meeting rooms, an indoor practice facility and a lounge area. The wrestling program will now renovate the former basketball complex and volleyball will occupy some of their office space.

If you take a stroll through the building, the "block M" is a key symbol and offers an enticing look into what the University of Minnesota has to offer through branding. The football complex specifically featured the most graphics and a strong tie to the "Row the Boat" culture. The Athletes Village also features an academic center, lounges and career development counseling to help student-athletes beyond their playing careers. For nutrition, the players have access to a cooking staff and dining area that seats 325. The special service is available during weeknights and allows players to follow their individual nutrition programs.

The building will be a major recruiting tool, showcasing the beauty of Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota campus. According to a spokesman, the University plans on providing tours for the public at some point and those details will be released at a later date.

For a full look inside the Land O' Lakes Performance Center, you can either go to the Google Photos Album -https://photos.app.goo.gl/EI64eR6y7GjSYCBh1

Or the Facebook Album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/...95.1073741827.59666664494&type=1&l=d2749041cc

(Unless the FB album is still loading, it doesn't appear to have uploaded the videos, they are all on the Google album).

Here are a few of my favorites ->

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Awesome pics!! Thank you!

What was the most impressive part to you?

Go Gophers!!
 





Was that Sid in the background in one of the pics? (old guy with a walker)
 


...So many slogans on the football side. I would have expected nothing less!

It looks like a beautiful facility that will help a ton with recruiting and making things better for our athletes.
 

...So many slogans on the football side. I would have expected nothing less!

It looks like a beautiful facility that will help a ton with recruiting and making things better for our athletes.

Noticed that as well. Looks less like a U of M facility than it does a PJ Fleck Facility when you compare it to the WBB and MBB pictures.
 



The current athletes in all those tour videos all seem very elated to finally enjoy their new digs.

It is long overdue.
 

What will be nice for the athletes to have is a shuttle especially for women athletes to bring them to their apartment complex or dorms especially when it is dark out.

Do they have room to put an underground tunnel or walkway from the Athletic Village to the campus itself? That will be nice to have especially for kids from warm climates.
 

Do they have room to put an underground tunnel or walkway from the Athletic Village to the campus itself? That will be nice to have especially for kids from warm climates.

I think the railroad tracks would be an issue :p but if they did think about expanding the tunnel system, I'd vote to get the current system more fully connected. I'd also vote for modernizing the flooring in the tunnels too, but that's just a personal preference :p
 

I don't like some of the current tunnel floors myself.

Are those four railroad tracks between 5th Street SE Bridge and the 10th Avenue Bridge being used that often? I think it is used as part of the railroad yard to park railroad cars. That is all I see there occasionally when I used to go running a lot by the U. Maybe the U can purchase that portion of land where those tracks are located.

They can develop a tunnel system. The land where the tracks are located now is ideal to put up student high rises especially one for student athletes. There may also additional rooms for new college facilities. The only thing is it may be considered an EPA superfund cleanup site.
 



...So many slogans on the football side. I would have expected nothing less!

It looks like a beautiful facility that will help a ton with recruiting and making things better for our athletes.

I kinda assume most college football facilities are ... or will be.... pretty much covered in fathead type material.
 

What will be nice for the athletes to have is a shuttle especially for women athletes to bring them to their apartment complex or dorms especially when it is dark out.

Do they have room to put an underground tunnel or walkway from the Athletic Village to the campus itself? That will be nice to have especially for kids from warm climates.
There's Gopher Chauffeur that could be used. There's also 624-WALK. Both have existed for at least the last 6 years.
 





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