| 02/28/2001 | Nike Names Building After Lance ArmstrongLance Armstrong, the remarkable young cyclist who battled back from testicular cancer and brain surgery to win the Tour de France the last two years, owes those titles and his life to the support of his family, a 'never quit' attitude and a devotion to physical fitness. It's fitting, therefore, that Armstrong and his family came to Nike's World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. today to dedicate a new athletic facility that bears his name, the Lance Armstrong Sports & Fitness Center.
"Having Nike name a building after me is big," said Armstrong. "I've often said it was a dream of mine even as a young boy to become a 'Nike athlete.' To have that dream come true, but then also be the recipient of this honor is beyond exciting for me. I am proud to have my name associated with something so solid and strong as the Nike Brand, the people at Nike and this amazing fitness center. It represents Nike's belief in me – and I'll be thinking of that as I climb the mountains ahead in my life."
When Nike added four buildings to its 'campus' in 1999, it meant the addition of approx. 2,800 employees who had been working in satellite offices around the Portland metro area. The existing athletic facility, named for two-sport athlete Bo Jackson, clearly could not handle the influx of new members, so a new facility was planned. When it came time to name it, the choice was obvious.
"Had an aspiring writer concocted a screenplay three years ago that essentially mirrored what Lance Armstrong actually accomplished, movie studios would have rejected it as too 'out there,' even for Hollywood," said Nike Chairman and CEO Phil Knight. "I've been fortunate to know a lot of truly remarkable athletes, but there are no more inspiring stories than Lance's, and Nike is extremely pleased to honor him with a building in his name."
As is the theme with other athlete-named buildings at Nike, 'The Lance' – as it has already been nicknamed by employees – is truly a monument to its namesake athlete. Various parts of the facility have been named for people or places that are important to Lance, including his wife ('The Kik' a multi-purpose meeting room, Lance's nickname for wife Kristin), mother (Linda's, a fitness studio), son (Luke's Loft, overlooking the swimming pool) and even his childhood swimming coach in Plano, Texas, Chris MacCurdy, for whom the swimming pool MacCurdy's is named.
Additional rooms include the Verdun, a smaller fitness studio named for the city where Lance won his first Tour de France stage. The Verdun's highlight is a Tour de France 'simulator,' consisting of four Trek bicycles hooked up to a machine that measures output, speed, etc., on a virtual course that re-creates sections of the real stages from last year's Tour. The simulator is programmed to provide more resistance to mimic an uphill climb, and tilts for corners and turns. At the end, riders can compare their numbers to Armstrong's. Another room is the Madone, a 34-foot climbing wall named for a very steep hill on which Armstrong trains.
The building also houses hundreds of personal items from Lance's life and career, including journals, trophies and jerseys he has worn in competition. To celebrate the dedication of his new building, Armstrong presented Knight with the Trek bicycle he rode in his first Tour de France victory in 1999, which will be added to the memorabilia on display.
But despite the simulator and the memorabilia, 'The Lance' is first and foremost a state-of-the-art sports and fitness facility. The more than 60,000 square feet center features an 11-lane swimming pool, a children's pool, 34-foot climbing wall, spinning studio, Pilates studio, weight rooms, athletic training room and other health and fitness facilities (see complete list on attached page). Located just outside "The Lance" is a FieldTurf putting green made from more than 23,000 pairs of recycled Nike shoes.
In contrast, the existing Bo Jackson Sports & Fitness Center is 50,000 square feet, and features an indoor basketball court, three racquetball and one squash court, an indoor track, two fitness studios and weight rooms. The 'Bo' also includes two outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor all-purpose field featuring FieldTurf, and the 400m Michael Johnson track. Membership to both facilities includes free fitness assessments, fitness classes, team sports & leagues, health classes and athletic training services. Membership is limited to Nike employees and their families.
Over the next few months, additional new facilities will be completed and dedicated by athletes for whom they are named – a conference center, outdoor sports facility and soccer fields named (respectively) in honor of Tiger Woods, Cynthia Cooper and Ronaldo – as the second phase of expansion on Nike's world headquarters (WHQ) in Beaverton nears completion.
Upon completion of this phase in the late spring of 2001, the Nike WHQ will consist of 10 general office buildings, two fitness centers, one conference center, one childcare facility, one maintenance facility, one multi-level parking structure, an outdoor track, outdoor multi-sport facilities and two running trails and five restaurants (see last page for a complete list). The entire Campus co-exists with a protected natural wetland that is home to wildlife including migratory birds, blue herons, hawks, beaver and deer.
Both phases of the campus expansion represent a more than $300 million investment by Nike in Beaverton that has a 'ripple effect' of nearly $750 million dollars in financial impact to the Portland metro economy, according to economic indicators provided by Oregon Economic Development. |
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