Almost every BC student, 20,000 plus, passes through the Bakersfield College Gil Sports Center from being a part of BC team or taking part in many of the numerous physical education classes. The Sports Center also serves as a community center, providing free community swim lessons, First aid & CPR, camps & clinics provided by the coaches. For the athletes, it is a place to call home, build relationships and learn how to handle adversity through athletics.
This photo of the entrance speaks volumes to the history of the building. Constructed in the 1950s, this center has served Bakersfield well but it is time to rebuild. The number of students have increased and the building can not effectively support our community’s needs. It is inefficient with storage closets converted to classrooms, lack of wifi in the classrooms and needless to say limited space. Energy efficiency is not even feasible for this 1950’s building.
All that said, the Sports Center is more than a gymnasium. It also houses locker rooms, fitness center, performance enhancement center, adaptive PE, dance room, wrestling room, athletic training facility and office space. Physical Education classes and athletic team practices share a lot of common classroom space. Measure J funds will be used to enhance our ability to serve this student population at BC.
