![Refreshing the Fitness Center]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1789744396/danahallorg/amvpb9koud5l3obekqgo/IMG_04161.jpg","width":2200}])
The Shipley Center for Athletics, Health and Wellness recently celebrated its 20th birthday, and Director of Athletics Mike White was looking for a way to refresh the underutilized Deborah E. Babson '74 Fitness Center.
“The room as it was worked fine, but the potential to make more efficient use of the space was there and with it, the opportunity to rebuild community interest in using the space,” White said. “After consulting with several outside resources and visiting many newly constructed college athletic facilities, we settled on the design to be both broadly usable and bridge the gap as many of our athletes make the jump to participating in college.”
Every year, the senior parents challenge themselves to match their previous giving to the Dana Fund and support an additional gift to the school that will stand as a lasting legacy for the years their daughters have been at Dana Hall. The parents of the Class of 2026 selected the Fitness Center as their focus area and raised more than $150,000 for the project through the Senior Parent Legacy Gift Fund, along with an additional $180,000 for the Dana Fund.
“We chose to support upgrading the Fitness Center so that the Class of 2026 could leave their legacy in a place that the whole community loves and uses: the Shipley Center,” said Chrissy Brown P26, 29, co-chair of the Senior Parent Legacy Gift Fund Committee. “The girls loved the idea of upgrading the equipment and continuing the health and wellbeing of future Dana girls.”
The revamped Fitness Center now boasts new turf flooring for more sport-specific workouts, including speed, agility and other footwork drills. The new equipment allows for more functional movement and a wider variety of fitness activities, while the center of the room is specifically designed to allow for body-weight functional movement.
“The increased open spaces give us a chance to have full teams in there doing workouts that are tailored to their needs,” White said. “The fitness benefits are obvious, but the team-building aspect of those sessions shouldn’t be overlooked.
“There is literally something for everyone at any fitness level.”
