Athletics Spotlight: Downer Fitness Center

By Anna Kim, Ashley Jane, Chengyue Zhang

Downer Fitness Center, a 9,000 square foot athletic facility with open turf space, 12 Olympic platform-equipped power racks, and a large variety of cardio machines, has been bustling since the start of the 2022 fall term. 

Students, faculty, and all members of the Academy community, whether they are new to the gym or more experienced lifters, have put Downer to good use. 

“I love Downer. It was a super welcoming environment as a newbie lifter, and it has continued to meet my needs and help me grow, as I became more comfortable in the gym,” upper Allison Whelan said.

For many community members, the accessibility of Downer is a huge appeal. “My favorite thing [about Downer] would be the fact that it's so accessible. [It only takes me] five minutes to get there.” upper Colin Maloney said.

“I think a lot of people appreciate the time and effort that our coaches put into keeping the place running,” upper Sam Pangan added. “I love the convenience that Downer provides to be able to go and workout whenever I’m available and to see friends there too. It’s great to have a place to train on campus that’s open throughout the day.” 

Upper Coco Kim found Downer’s open availability to be especially useful in the winter. “I like being active during the winter, but I don't really have an interest in winter sports,” Kim said. 

Many students also appreciate the wide selection, quality, and cleanliness of the equipment at Downer. “As a gym, Downer is one of the most amazing facilities I've ever seen,” senior Ina Mason said. “It honestly makes me sad to go home and lift at my local gym, because Downer is just so much brighter and cleaner and newer, and it really has everything I could ever need.”

“I don’t think I would be near as content without Downer as a resource. I love the rack setup. It has everything anyone could dream of. Easy setup, versatile equipment, perfectly spaced. Truly my favorite place on campus,” Whelan added.

Senior Kodi Lopez commented on how the equipment in Downer can be adjusted to suit everyone’s individual needs. “There's a lot of heights that you can adjust [the equipment] to compared to other gyms that might only have three or four settings,” Lopez said. “There are also stations that use air resistance, [which] you can adjust any way you want. [Then you can] literally do any exercise you want with air resistance.”

The strength and conditioning coaches are another valuable resource of the Downer Fitness Center. “My job is to be a strength and conditioning coach for the entire school,” assistant strength and conditioning coach Nicole Fowler said. “We're not just limited to athletes; we're available to work with anybody. I really enjoy and love when students ask me for some programming advice or for some technical advice.”

Fowler explained the various ways to ask a strength and conditioning coach for gym or fitness help. “Students can come up to a coach during open hours, or they can email a coach and ask for some advice,” Fowler said. “Typically, if a student comes up to me for advice, I'll ask them what their goals are and what they want to get out of working out, and we’ll set up a time to meet. Then, during that meeting, I'll have a program that's written up, and we’ll go over the program together.”

Senior and gym proctor Ciara McNamara shared her experience working with Fowler. “I felt comfortable [with Coach Fowler] since she's a woman in the Strength and Conditioning Office. She taught me all that I wanted to know about form… and how to [execute] all of these scary looking lifts,” McNamara said.

“The coaches are incredibly helpful and incredibly supportive,” McNamara continued. “They're here to push all of us, to make sure everything that we're doing is safe, and, obviously, to take care of this beautiful gym which they've passed down to us as gym proctors.”

“Coach Fish and Coach Fowler have helped me with so many things. They've helped me learn the form on lifts. They've helped me learn how to build workouts for myself, and they've helped me to show me new types of workouts to reach my goals,” Mason said.

Gym proctors are also available for gym advice for those who may be more comfortable interacting with other students. “I get to teach some of the underclassmen. I told some of the preps in my dorm about Downer, and that I can help them with form,” McNamara said. “[As a gym proctor], I can help spot people and play music. I think there’s some really good vibes whenever I'm in Downer for sure.”

McNamara also urged more underclassmen to utilize Downer Fitness Center. “I think that there is an interesting culture of only upperclassmen being here. I would love to see more underclassmen learn form and just how to get in here,” McNamara said.

Despite some restricted hours for team sports or on weekends, many students have found Downer extremely helpful in relieving the academic pressure of Exeter. “[Lifting] is a grind for sure, but your mind is off of Exeter. You're not thinking about your five homework assignments or whatever [it is]; you're just thinking about lifting weights and [maintaining] good form,” Maloney said. “You have this feeling of yourself getting stronger and just being in the present.”

“I feel like lifting really helps me get through the week, because even though at the moment, it feels like I would just be losing time, it helps me relieve stress, especially if you're listening to music with your friends and lifting heavy,” upper Sophia Lee added.

For all students regardless of athlete status or gym experience, Fowler has an important reminder. “I want students to know that Downer is an open space. We want it to be inclusive of everybody so even if you haven't had experience working out or the gym seems intimidating, please try it out,” Fowler encouraged. “There are great resources in Downer to open your eyes to new experiences and set you up for success later on in life.”