When the Charles F. Glore Memorial Gymnasium was dedicated in April 1953, it was recognized as one of the best athletic facilities at the time. Additions to the athletics footprint in recent decades enabled growth of the athletics, fitness, and recreation programs which now exceed the limits of the current building.
The Athletic Center Expansion project features three regulation multi-use courts for indoor sports that currently share one court in Glore Gym. Other amenities of the new state-of-the-art facility include:
- Squash courts for practice and competition
- An indoor running track
- Indoor turf to accommodate training for outdoor sports
- Other significant community amenities
The expanded facilities will offer a new hub for services and resources for athletes, creating efficiency, and building camaraderie and community.
For me, the Athletic Center Expansion is all about giving the LFA community a place that they can always call home. This building will give students a place to grow athletically and socially while keeping physically fit. When they walk through those doors, they’ll be able to unwind and just have fun. It’s about providing a better way of life for the students. The new space will give us the ability to hold numerous practices at the same time; our students can then go to dinner and have time to connect with their friends before study hours. In addition, our student-athletes will be able to train all year and have extra time to work on their craft and become stronger in their sport.
Darrin Madeley P’11, ’14
Athletic Director, Director of Summer Programs
Together, these projects will help LFA students become even more competitive, build our programs' reputation, and help attract and retain talented student-athletes looking for opportunities to compete at their very best, led by first-rate faculty coaches. In addition, because these projects increase the physical training space for our athletes, access to facilities space becomes more abundant for other fitness programs and recreational activities for all LFA students.
This expansion will bring LFA’s indoor sporting facilities in line with its competition from other top boarding schools and other regional public high schools. Guests from local communities and around the region visit the Academy's athletic facilities each year for athletic events, camps, and tournaments. An up-to-date, expanded facility will better represent Lake Forest Academy to prospective students and visitors while also serving the current student body with collegiate-level physical fitness facilities.
