By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Baylor’s national champions are getting a new home.
That’s true of men’s and women’s basketball, as the newly constructed Foster Pavilion nears completion across Interstate 35. It’s also true for acrobatics and tumbling, which is preparing for its move to the newly vacant Ferrell Center.
Baylor’s eight-time defending NCATA champions currently call Marrs-McLean Gym their home — even though it isn’t the most glamorous spot on campus.
“Moving to the Ferrell Center will be bittersweet, just to leave this spot,” head acrobatics and tumbling coach Felecia Mulkey said. “This is our living room. That’s what we call Marrs-McLean Gym, is our living room. And we’ve trained for many national championships here, so it’ll be bittersweet.”
Mulkey said that with the move, she’ll miss the “energy” students bring to campus — not to mention Baylor’s new bear cubs, Judge Indy and Judge Belle, who live just a short walk from Marrs-McLean.
Mulkey called them her “new bear neighbors across the corner.”
Still, sharing space in the middle of campus was less than ideal. The team could only use the gym during a specific three-hour window each day, making scheduling around classes a nightmare. Mulkey said the Bears have been practicing with “the minimal amount of things” a team could use: 13 mats the team pulls out for practice, a few extra mats on the side and a spotting ring for tosses. Getting a permanent practice home in the Ferrell Center will allow the team to use more equipment.
The scheduling issues have been even worse for volleyball, which has been splitting time with men’s and women’s basketball in the Ferrell Center. That arrangement means the team has occasionally had to practice as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 7 p.m.
Head volleyball coach Ryan McGuyre said for the players, the new time flexibility is going to be the most important thing.
“I think that freedom is going to really help the mental health of the student-athletes,” McGuyre said.
Due to locker room locations, volleyball is expected to take over what is currently the women’s basketball practice gym, while acrobatics and tumbling will take the (identical) men’s gym. But more than a simple change in practice location, McGuyre said the move should help game environments as well.
“When we can get a volleyball-specific floor down the road, it’s what will make the atmosphere better and then just help our athletes with recovery [between games],” McGuyre said. “I think aesthetically, the fans will enjoy it too. And it’s come to a volleyball-acro venue, and we can celebrate the successes of this volleyball program and have a place where acro can showcase the successes of their amazing program.”
The Foster Pavilion is scheduled to open for basketball games early next year, with the men’s team hosting Cornell on Jan. 2 and the women’s team playing its Big 12 home opener against TCU the following night.
