Portsmouth Abbey School - Athletics

The 17,000-square-foot Squash & Fitness Center, dedicated in May 2004, has added tremendously to the quality of life at Portsmouth Abbey School, both for recreational users and for our athletes involved in serious conditioning programs. Our fitness facility is better than what can be found at most prep schools and many Division III colleges.

The Dom Bede Gorman Squash Center was named in memory of Dom Bede, an avid squash player and Abbey athletic director and coach for 25 years. The top-notch facility consists of eight international squash courts and is used for team, club and intramural play as well as for elite area tournaments. Popular summer squash camps, led by world-renowned squash players such as Mark Talbott, are also held at the Squash Center due to its quality.

The 3,000-square-foot Healey & Sheehan Fitness Center includes 60 stations, split among three areas: free weights, weight machines, and a cardiovascular area. All machines are top-of-the-line and are regularly maintained for optimal safety and performance. The Fitness Center is a safe environment for the students, and very user-friendly; all students and new faculty undergo an orientation at the beginning of each year to familiarize them with the equipment.

Many students use the Fitness Center in their leisure time and on weekends, which allows them to spend their time productively, learn more about fitness and staying healthy, and it is a positive social outlet for them. Many faculty and staff also take advantage of the facility during their free time.

Al Brown, director of athletics, noted, "Having access to this equipment and the faculty expertise to supervise conditioning programs has had a tremendous impact on our students' readiness for team sports. There is no question that this facility has improved the health, fitness and well-being of our student-athletes and the entire School community. We tried to design a facility to accommodate everyone," he added, "and are happy with the results."

Kelly Christopher, school athletic trainer, added, "The Fitness Center is a great addition to our School, for dedicated athletes and recreational users alike. One of the biggest benefits of having this facility is that it promotes physical well-being, which is a state of mind. Physical exercise facilitates the incorporation of other aspects of a healthy lifestyle such as nutrition, weight management and disease prevention. Another huge benefit of having the Fitness Center is that it provides all students an outlet for stress management and plays an important role in improving self esteem, self-confidence, mental discipline, performance and coordination."

The Fitness Center also plays a major role in injury prevention: it can accommodate entire teams where, together, the athletes can learn safe and proper lifting techniques and have the opportunity to ask questions about fitness. "At first, students can be easily intimidated by strength training," said Christopher. "Having the Fitness Center makes it easier to provide better instruction and coaching, therefore making all students more comfortable with the equipment and enthusiastic about using it."

Participating in a strength-training program, such as those Portsmouth Abbey offers, may prevent injury from occurring during the sports season. The students achieve a basic level of fitness by using a wide range of exercises to promote flexibility and coordination, decreasing the potential number of injuries. "As the athletic trainer, having this terrific facility has been most helpful to me in assisting athletes who are recovering from injury," continued Christopher. "Students are able to maintain their cardiovascular fitness and strength during their rehabilitation program due to the wide variety of machines available."