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University of Michigan Athletics

Newt Loken Training Center for Men's Gymnastics

Loken Training Center

SIZE: 10,500 square feet
CONSTRUCTED: 1913
RENOVATED: 2002, 2009
DEDICATED: Jan. 18, 2003
LOCATION: Sports Coliseum

The Wolverine men's gymnastics program trains inside the newly renovated Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center. The facility underwent its second renovation in the past decade during the summer of 2009 when head coach Kurt Golder oversaw an expansion project that added over 3,000 square feet. The expansion allowed for the addition of two new vaulting areas, a tumbling strip and rod floor, as well as a new high bar and still rings area with regulation competition matting.

In 2003, a $300,000 renovation project to the Sports Coliseum created an outstanding men's gymnastics training site that not only helps continue the excellence Michigan fans have come to expect, but is also named in honor of the coach who created that tradition, Newt Loken.

The Newt Loken Gymnastics Training Center was dedicated on Jan. 18, 2003, when the Wolverines hosted the Oklahoma Sooners in the first home meet of the Wolverines' 2003 season. The 10,500 square-foot facility features loose-foam and resi-pits for a safer training environment for all six competitive events. It is one of the top facilities in the nation for elite level men's gymnastics training and will help in the recruitment of high-level gymnasts.

Initially known as the Weinberg Coliseum, the facility was built by Fred Weinberg in 1913 and was originally a natural ice rink. Michigan intramural ice hockey teams first used Weinberg Coliseum in 1914, and the "informal varsity" hockey team played its games at the facility as well.

The U-M Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics purchased the building in 1925 after a fire in an adjoining paint shop burned the roof. U-M added artificial ice-making capabilities, as well as seating accommodations for approximately 600 spectators. The Coliseum was remodeled in 1949-50, and the seating capacity increased to 3,500.

Michigan's last ice hockey game at the Coliseum was a 9-8 overtime loss to Minnesota-Duluth on February 10, 1973. Since the conversion of Yost to an ice hockey arena, several Michigan club sports teams and women's varsity athletic teams have used the Coliseum for practice.