Rice University Athletics
For The Community At Large
9/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 25, 2009
By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
David Gibbs (Will Rice '71) sat at the dais outside the resplendent recreation center that bore his and his wife's names nattily attired, something to be expected of a man of his considerable wealth and clout.
Two seats to Gibbs' left sat Rice Student Association President Patrick McAnaney decked out in the traditional uniform of an undergraduate student on a pleasant Friday afternoon - shorts and a t-shirt. McAnaney is roughly four decades Gibbs' junior, yet the threads that bound them together were as blatantly obvious as their apparel selections divergent.
Through revealing anecdotes both made clear their love for Rice University and for physical fitness, and their paths intersected for the grand opening of the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center, the $42 million facility that welcomed Owls both young and old.
McAnaney shared how his consternation over the old, decrepit recreation center played a role in his college selection process and why his sartorial selection reflected a desire to be one of the first students to give the Gibbs Rec Center a twirl. Gibbs, whose monetary gift facilitated the construction of the building, beamed as he relayed the influence athletics played throughout his years as a Rice undergrad and beyond.
"I played basketball for the freshman team and I wasn't particularly proud of my grades that year," Gibbs said. "So my sophomore year I gave up my collegiate prospects to concentrate on my studies, but I soon realized that without physical activity I had difficulty focusing and concentrating. So whenever I would get in a funk or a solution to a problem failed to present itself, I headed to the gym, and after a good workout I was ready to get back to my studies with the juices flowing.
"This has worked out over my entire life. Every Tuesday and Thursday at noon it's N.B.A. time: Noon Basketball Assembly at the Rice Gym, and I seldom miss. I'm a believer in lifelong fitness. In a few minutes I'm going to suit up and play a game of basketball. For that short time, I'll get to be a 61-year-old kid."
True to his word, Gibbs later participated in a pickup game on one of the four basketball courts inside the Ralph and Becky O'Connor Gymnasium. McAnaney was downstairs working out in the Carl and Katherine Isgren Weights and Cardio Room. Students, faculty and staff toured the rest of the facility, which features two international squash courts, four racquetball courts, a dance theater, several multipurpose rooms and a multipurpose court designed to host indoor hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis. Externally the Gibbs Rec Center showcases a lounge pool and 50-meter competition pool, two additional basketball courts and an outdoor adventure center. It features all the amenities any student could crave - students were surveyed as to their desires for the facility - and that was a primary goal for Rice president David Leebron.
"It is a fabulous addition to our campus in every sense," Leebron said. "It will help us reinforce our sense of community as we bring students, faculty and staff together. It will enable all members of our community to stay physically fit while they pursue their intellectual endeavors. And as I said earlier to a different group, at least if our students aren't going to get enough sleep, they can get some exercise."
While the Gibbs Rec Center will have minimal impact on the athletic department- the women's swimming program received a significant boost with the addition of the aquatics center - Rice athletic director Chris Del Conte coordinated the fundraising for the project and will oversee the management of the facility. The Gibbs Rec Center is the latest in a growing line of facility upgrades made under Del Conte, but the inspiration behind the latest project differed from the renovations that singularly impacted the baseball, football and basketball programs.
The Gibbs Rec Center provides Rice a recruiting tool for students, not explicitly student-athletes. When McAnaney jokingly noted that, after 1,251 days the Gibbs Rec Center left him feeling vindicated for having selected Rice, he crystallized the lasting significance of the facility.
"A hundred years from now we're going to look back at this board of trustees and this president and say, `Look what they've done. Look what they did to secure the future of Rice,'" Del Conte said. "It starts with the two new colleges (Duncan and McMurtry), the physics building, Tudor Fieldhouse, right here and the BRC (BioScience Research Collaborative). These things are enriching this institution, and I am so happy to be a small part of that.
"When you come to Rice and you are around these students for more than four minutes, you realize it's contagious. They're great, great young people that will go on and do great things. So for the students who are here, I can't thank you (enough) for making Rice your choice of schools because you are absolutely some of the finest students in the country. And today we are matching your ability in the classroom and on the playing fields with a building that should match your opportunity to engage in every activity you want to engage in."
