FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State University announced future plans for additions to its athletic facilities at a press conference on Wednesday at the Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility. Though plans are not completely finalized, the university gave recognition to the Robert and Patricia Schmidt Foundation and Don and Chris Bickle for their generous major donations to help the project move forward.
"Things have grown with our football positive in a very positive way and we've seen the need now to add on to this (Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training) facility in terms of locker room, meeting rooms, coaches offices and something that will really effect all of our student athletes is the sports medicine athletic training room" said FHSU athletic director Curtis Hammeke.
Hammeke says when completed the new facility will be called the Schmidt-Bickle Athletic Complex.
"For me personally and on behalf of our athletic department, it was really important that we could protect the name of this existing facilty" Hammeke said.
The majority of the new facility plans address growing needs for the Tiger Football program. Plans are in place for a facility to house a larger locker room for up to 130 players, new coach offices and team meeting rooms, and an expanded sports medicine facility to be utilized by all FHSU athletic programs. The proposed facility is two levels, with the new locker room and sports medicine facilities on the ground level, and the coach offices and meeting rooms on the second level above ground. The estimated total cost of this project is near $6.5 million.
Most of the proposed plans and renderings for expansion have the new facility being added on to the existing Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility. The facility, which currently features a 65-yard artificial turf practice field, a three-lane track with jump pits, a 5,000-square foot weight room, and a large meeting room, sits just outside the southeast wall of Lewis Field Stadium.
FHSU Athletics