During November, Skoglund Athletic Center welcomed several high-tech additions to the facility. Three Toshiba LCD televisions now hang in the lobby of Skoglund. Two are above the doors to the gymnasium and auditorium, and one hangs above a Macintosh computer station in the hallway between Skoglund and Tostrud. Some students say they are puzzled by the new additions, however, they will offer both an outside view of the auditorium events and a cable feed for an intended relaxation area for students.
The change for St. Olaf’s athletic facilities originates from one of the most intensive uses of the Skoglund Auditorium: St. Olaf’s yearly Christmas Festival. Because of the festival’s reputation and popularity, tickets are sometimes scarce. Students loiter outside the auditorium doors to catch a glimpse of the choir ensembles creating congestion. In collaboration between the music department and the athletics department the high-definition Toshibas were installed to stream footage of the concert each night.
The tactic worked, as the large Toshibas could be seen far away from the doors and the choir could be heard just as easily.
“A couple times when I came down to the gym during Christmas Fest I sat and watched the program,” Andrew Little ’13 said.
Beyond Christmas Fest, the LCDs have other intended uses. Music events, such as concerts by the large ensembles like Ole Band, Norsemen Band, Ole Orchestra and Philharmonia, will also be streamed live. Those who cannot arrive on time to the concerts will now be offered footage of the ongoing concert while they wait to be seated.
Music events are not the only thing shown live by the TVs. Any major sporting event taking place in the Skoglund gymnasium streams live to audiences outside in the lobby. During sporting events, the TVs will display statistics and athlete information. Major games in the gymnasium will be filmed, and available on the Internet and on the televisions.
“We film sporting events such as basketball right now,” athletics student worker Daniel Anderson ’12 said. “In the fall we would also do volleyball games.”
Since concerts and sporting events do not continue endlessly, each TV defaults to a divided screen of information feeds and cable television. Much like similar HDTVs in the administration building and Buntrock Commons, the TVs constantly cycle a general campus-wide information feed. Each feed is specific to its respective building, featuring either athletic news or a cable news channel. In times of emergency, a central control would broadcast messages through the TVs to alert those in Skoglund of the situation.
Some students believe that the TVs are in a poor location because there are no places to sit in the lobby. Many believe that when there is not a sporting event or concert then the TVs are not going to be put to use because of the location.
“They’re in a spot that nobody watches,” Nick Munoz ’10 said. “They’re just sitting outside the basketball gym and everyone going to the athletic facilities aren’t going to watch them. They’d be more effective on the track or on the upper levels where people can actually enjoy them when they work out.”
Of the roughly 20 students interviewed who use the Athletic Center frequently, none responded that they ever stop to watch what is on the televisions while walking to Tostrud.
One TV will be used for an intended “relaxation area” between Skoglund and Tostrud.
“It was something we’ve been talking about for a long time in this area,” Director of Athletics Matt McDonald said. “We have all this space in this building and literally hundreds of users a day. We thought it would be great to be able to create a space where students can get together before or after working out.”
The athletics department intends to use empty space near a computer station to make a space where students can spend time. For students between practices, exercise science classes or waiting for a friend to arrive for a workout, Skoglund offers little space to sit or study. The aim for the relaxation space is to bring in a few couches where students can sit and have a continual cable television feed of sports broadcasting from the TV, similar to the Pause lounge.
“That sounds pretty cool,” Adam Napolitano ’13 said. “But from an athlete’s standpoint I wouldn’t just sit and waste my time in Skoglund.”
“I think a place where people could chill after they work out would be cool,” Chris Massey ‘13 said.
Although the relaxation area has not been formally announced, the athletics department seeks to begin with small steps, bringing in couches in the coming weeks and seeing how students react to the change.
peterjoh@stolaf.edu
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