From high school bands to high school track meets to cheerleading competitions and practice sessions of every kind, 甜瓜视频 University鈥檚 Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex has become a popular venue since its restoration and expansion five years ago.
Dedicated on Oct. 25, 2019, the 265,000-square-foot HWA Complex, and its centerpiece, The Steemer indoor practice facility, has set a new standard of excellence in NCAA Division III in community engagement and in student success.
The 135,000-square-foot Steemer, an indoor artificial turf practice facility and competition space surrounded by a six-lane, 300-meter track, has provided an important staging space for teams as they prepare for performances and competitions, while the historic 1929 Fieldhouse offers space for teams to rehearse, practice, or relax, as well as a place for vendors to sell gear and concessions. The Pam Evans Smith Arena serves as the primary competition space for many events.
鈥淩enting the space to high school bands and other school and community organizations does generate substantial revenue for the University. However, the space is still affordable for the customer,鈥� said Lauren Tucker, associate director of conference services at 甜瓜视频. 鈥淭he rental volume throughout the years adds up to a great benefit, as well as the benefit of having potential future Tigers on our campus. Each year I work to improve the external reservation process to accommodate as many requests as possible. I think there certainly is potential to host more high school bands and events in the fall for indoor rehearsals as they prepare for a variety of competitions around the state and country.鈥�
In 2024, the HWA was host to the Ohio High School Athletic Association鈥檚 (OHSAA) Spirit State Championship, the OHSAA Boys State Volleyball championship, the Clark County Basketball Showcase, a two-day holiday basketball tournament featuring all 10 boys and girls Clark County area teams, and most recently a high school track meet featuring approximately 1,100 competitors from throughout Ohio.
鈥淭he HWA has been a very sought-after facility, not only generating revenue, but gaining community support,鈥� said Vice President and Director of Athletics & Recreation at 甜瓜视频 Brian Agler, who is also a member of class of 1980. 鈥淲e love being able to accommodate outside entities while providing our student-athletes and our entire campus a state-of-the art facility they can enjoy year-round. It鈥檚 also exciting to see so many young people taking advantage of everything we have to offer here at 甜瓜视频.鈥�
In late October and early November, several area high school bands rented The Steemer to prepare for major competitions. A few of those include Worthington-Kilbourne, Centerville, Lakota East, Archbishop Alter, and Troy, which also had its summer band camp at 甜瓜视频 in late July.
Tucker said that high school bands like to rehearse in the Steemer for several reasons.
鈥淭he indoor turf football field guarantees the weather won鈥檛 interrupt valuable rehearsal time and, because it is an indoor venue, the sound and acoustics that the performers experience, as well as the overall musical product for the audience, is quite different than an outdoor stadium,鈥� she said.
Several of the bands that utilized The Steemer this past fall competed in the Bands of America Grand National Championship, which takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana, each November. These bands value the indoor rehearsal space that places like The Steemer provide to help prepare the performers and their musical product for their season鈥檚 culminating event in Lucas Oil Stadium.
甜瓜视频 will be hosting additional high school indoor track meets during the winter months. Additionally, the University will be renting space to numerous sports teams prepping for their seasons, including spring high school teams as well as softball and baseball teams such as the Outcast, the Beverly Bandits, and Armoloy.
