Fort Collins – Sonny Lubick looks at a patch of trees adjacent to Moby Arena and visualizes a new weight room/academic center. He turns around and sees his long-coveted indoor practice field where tennis courts now sit.
There’s no groundbreaking date for any of the projects, let alone a completion target, but Colorado State appears about ready to catch up to other Rocky Mountain schools in the facility arms race. CSU is the only Division I-A school on either side of the Rockies from Boise, Idaho, to Albuquerque without an existing indoor facility or one under construction.
The point hasn’t been lost on rival recruiters. It’s difficult to tell whether Lubick is happier he will slam the door on the November cold or silence the negative recruiting pitches in December.
“I’m very excited. A year from now we’ll have an indoor facility as good as it gets,” Lubick said recently.
The school’s board of governors approved a $20 million bond issue for athletic facilities in June as part of a campus-wide initiative. Approval means groundbreaking can proceed before the money is in place, but Lubick might be getting ahead of himself with no date yet set to break ground.
CSU athletic director Paul Kowalczyk expresses confidence the school can raise the money to pay the bonds. He’s just not sure where he will find the sources. The total project adds up to more than the $17.1 million gift from Pat Stryker to revamp Hughes Stadium.
It isn’t clear yet which building will go up first, the weight room/academic center or the indoor practice building, which will also house additional practice courts for volleyball and basketball.
CSU strength-and-conditioning coach Greg Scanlan said the biggest need for an indoor facility is in January and February for offseason conditioning. Last winter’s series of snowstorms kept the snow piled up, and the Rams missed several scheduled outdoor workouts.
While the coaches are nearly giddy over the prospect of long-awaited new facilities, the seniors find themselves in the same position as predecessors who missed out on the new locker room, finished a year ago.
Senior quarterback Caleb Hanie played high school ball in Forney, Texas, which had an indoor facility, then went to a college without one.
“It will definitely be a bonus,” Hanie said. “I wish I had it when I got here, but I’m glad for the younger guys, and it will help recruiting.”
Footnotes
Although the Rams have contact drills on a daily basis, officials will be brought in Saturday morning for some scrimmaging. Lubick wants his team to work on avoiding penalties while minimizing the chance of injuries. … Senior defensive end Bob Vomhof had minor knee surgery Thursday after missing practice most of the week. It isn’t known how long he will be out. … X-rays were negative on safety Steve Juedes after he fell on his tailbone Wednesday. … Tickets are available for Thursday’s annual Front Range Kickoff luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Denver Marriott Tech Center. Tickets are available through Wyoming, CSU and Air Force offices or on the Mountain West website, .
Staff writer Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
