A New Era: Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center Brings Growth, Opportunity to Louisville
February 17, 2021 | Track & Field
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When the University of Louisville track and field team hosts its final meet before the ACC Indoor Championships, it will do so in a state-of-the-art facility designed to become a premiere stop in the region for the sport at all levels.
The soon-to-be-christened Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center boasts a space of 24 acres and a 90,000-square-foot floor with the capability of hosting a wide variety of events from youth track & field events to regional and national track meets in addition to volleyball games, concerts and more.
"What they're building is a world-class facility," said Louisville track and field head coach Dale Cowper. "They brought in representatives from USA Track and Field. … They've done it right from the very beginning, and it's certainly equipped at a very high level.
"It's going to be something that is much bigger than the city of Louisville," Cowper said. "It's going to draw in competitors from across the country. Some of the high school and middle school meets are going to be able to draw really large fields, and certainly the universities from around the region will look forward to competing here in the future as well."
A project spearheaded by the Louisville Urban League, the building is located in the heart of West Louisville, where it promises to serve as an economic boon.
Cowper gave particular credit to Louisville Urban League CEO Sadiqa Reynolds, who he said was instrumental in making the Norton Healthcare SLC a reality.
"Sadiqa has done an amazing job putting this together with the Urban League," Cowper said. "Her vision and her passion to find a way to really bring resources and business and economics into the west side of Louisville is second to none. She's done a tremendous job getting the facility put together."
The facility will comfortably hold 4,000 spectators for indoor track and field events, and it features a hydraulic floor that can be lowered to provide space and floor seating for non-athletic events.
Cowper said he's most impressed with the track itself, which was built to specs that will provide even the most elite of athletes with ample opportunity to perform at a high level.
"The 200-meter track has a great radius to it," he said, "which, for those of us in the track community, it means you're going to run fast. And the field events are set up with tandem pits for the horizontal and vertical jumps. Having dual pits will make for larger competitive field capabilities as well as a more progressive flow to the competition."
Beyond track and field, the center also has the capability to serve as a community center with a 4-lane mini bowling alley, a rock-climbing wall and space dedicated for educational programming.
And the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational is just the first of many events that the UofL track and field program plans to hold there. And it will prove even more advantageous for the Cardinals during inclement weather conditions, much like those the city of Louisville is experiencing going into the meet.
"We hope to train there during the winter months as much as we can," Cowper said. "That's certainly the objective once we have access to it. We're going to do a lot of training there. Then, in the future, our goal is to host a couple of smaller competitions and then one larger competition there each year."
The Cardinals may be the first to host an event at the brand new facility, but it certainly won't be the last. In addition to collegiate events hosted by UofL, Cowper said the sky is the limit on what the Norton Healthcare SLC can bring to the city of Louisville.
"I think this can host any track and field competition," Cowper said, "NCAA Championships, USA Championships, youth championships, everything. It can absolutely host all of those opportunities and
The soon-to-be-christened Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center boasts a space of 24 acres and a 90,000-square-foot floor with the capability of hosting a wide variety of events from youth track & field events to regional and national track meets in addition to volleyball games, concerts and more.
"What they're building is a world-class facility," said Louisville track and field head coach Dale Cowper. "They brought in representatives from USA Track and Field. … They've done it right from the very beginning, and it's certainly equipped at a very high level.
"It's going to be something that is much bigger than the city of Louisville," Cowper said. "It's going to draw in competitors from across the country. Some of the high school and middle school meets are going to be able to draw really large fields, and certainly the universities from around the region will look forward to competing here in the future as well."
A project spearheaded by the Louisville Urban League, the building is located in the heart of West Louisville, where it promises to serve as an economic boon.
Cowper gave particular credit to Louisville Urban League CEO Sadiqa Reynolds, who he said was instrumental in making the Norton Healthcare SLC a reality.
"Sadiqa has done an amazing job putting this together with the Urban League," Cowper said. "Her vision and her passion to find a way to really bring resources and business and economics into the west side of Louisville is second to none. She's done a tremendous job getting the facility put together."
The facility will comfortably hold 4,000 spectators for indoor track and field events, and it features a hydraulic floor that can be lowered to provide space and floor seating for non-athletic events.
Cowper said he's most impressed with the track itself, which was built to specs that will provide even the most elite of athletes with ample opportunity to perform at a high level.
"The 200-meter track has a great radius to it," he said, "which, for those of us in the track community, it means you're going to run fast. And the field events are set up with tandem pits for the horizontal and vertical jumps. Having dual pits will make for larger competitive field capabilities as well as a more progressive flow to the competition."
Beyond track and field, the center also has the capability to serve as a community center with a 4-lane mini bowling alley, a rock-climbing wall and space dedicated for educational programming.
And the Lenny Lyles Cardinal Invitational is just the first of many events that the UofL track and field program plans to hold there. And it will prove even more advantageous for the Cardinals during inclement weather conditions, much like those the city of Louisville is experiencing going into the meet.
"We hope to train there during the winter months as much as we can," Cowper said. "That's certainly the objective once we have access to it. We're going to do a lot of training there. Then, in the future, our goal is to host a couple of smaller competitions and then one larger competition there each year."
The Cardinals may be the first to host an event at the brand new facility, but it certainly won't be the last. In addition to collegiate events hosted by UofL, Cowper said the sky is the limit on what the Norton Healthcare SLC can bring to the city of Louisville.
"I think this can host any track and field competition," Cowper said, "NCAA Championships, USA Championships, youth championships, everything. It can absolutely host all of those opportunities and
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