West Boca Raton high school has opened up a new athletic facility! Here’s all you need to know about it…
The new facility is called the “Frank A. Barbieri Jr. Athletic Facility” for short, it’s called the FAB. The school chose to name it this in honor of Mr. Frank Barbieri. Mr. Barbieri has done so much for the school. At the time, Mr. Barbieri was part of the school board of Palm Beach County and was the member responsible for the West Boca area.The board decided that they wanted to open another school at the time. Years later it turned out to be our beautiful school. Mr. Barbieri negotiated a land swap, which has never been done before, just for the school to be where it is now. Without him, we would not be at this school in a beautiful location. He has done a lot for the school to be where it is today, and for that, the athletic facility is a tribute to him.
Before the athletic facility, the room was used for drafting and design classes. However, Mr. Capitano believed that it would be smarter if those classes went digital. So when Mr. Steranko retired, he decided to create the athletic facility. Mr. Capitano’s idea for it was to be a fitness and wellness center. The main idea for the room, however, was to be used by the exercise science and sports nutrition classes. Mr. Martin, a teacher here at West Boca who teaches sports nutrition and exercise science, described having the ability to use the room as a way to have more space for clinical use and labs. This was a very momentous moment for him after being here for three years to be able to train people who are interested in fitness and may want this career path. Another reason the facility was built was because the old weight training room was so small and it was hard to cram so many students in. This big and spacious room now gives those classes the space that they need.
The new facility is also meant for the sports teams to use for training. However, Mr. Capitano didn’t want the facility to only be for the main three sports like football, baseball and soccer. He wanted every sport to have the ability to train here. Sports such as basketball, volleyball, powderpuff, etc. The room has become inclusive to everyone. Even if you are not part of a sports team, as long as you are a student at West Boca who has permission and supervision you are allowed to use the facility! Isn’t that exciting? Having the ability to use an athletic space while on our school campus.
Now for the even cooler part, how did they design the room, and how to maintain it? The school wanted everything to be customized, from the athletic equipment to the lockers. Everything in the room has the “WB” logo on it in the school’s signature blue and gold colors. Mr.Capitano designed the room by going to multiple commercial gyms and exploring his options. The floor was created by using epoxy mixing gray and white. While designing the floor, Coach Potts wanted to add turf, so creating that compromise with both the turf and epoxy created the unique facility we have now. To maintain the space, Mr.Capitano wants everyone to treat the space as if they were in a normal athletic facility. Ensuring the longevity of the space by always mopping, wiping down equipment, and re-racking will ensure that our new athletic facility will last for many years to come. Treating this space with respect will allow everyone to use this facility. Everyone, make sure to maintain these rules and lastly, enjoy the new athletic facility!
Photo credit : Jenna Liotta
