As DU prepares to host the first 2012 presidential debate on Oct. 3, the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness is also undergoing preparations as the site of the event.

As of this Monday, access to the Ritchie Center is restricted to the south entrance near the Coors Fitness Center. The process of fencing off the north and west entrances to complete the construction of a media platform began last Friday.

Through this Friday, students and faculty will have access to the Coors Fitness Center, the El Pomar Natatorium, Gates Field House, the Gates Tennis Center and the Health and Counseling Center through the south entrance.

However, at the end of regular hours on Friday, the Ritchie Center will close down completely for five days, according to Stuart Halsall, DU’s assistant vice chancellor for recreation, athletic events and Ritchie Center operations.

“There is going to be some inconvenience; you can’t avoid that with the size of the event,” said Halsall. “But I think this is also a unique experience for many people on this campus. This is not an everyday event. Even though there are some things that may impact what some people do daily, I think this event provides great opportunities to get involved.”

The entire Ritchie Center complex, in addition to the Cable Center, will be fenced off and completely inaccessible to students and faculty from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

On the morning of Oct. 4, the building will begin to reopen, mirroring the same functions available as this week while Magness Arena and Hamilton Gymnasium remain closed. Halsall anticipates the Ritchie Center returning to normal operations on Oct. 8.

While the Ritchie Center is closed, the Health and Counseling Center will be available for emergency consultations via their usual phone number on Oct. 1 and 2. The center will be closed on Oct. 3 but will reopen as usual on the morning of Oct. 4.

Students and faculty will also have access to the fitness facility at the Jewish Community Center, located at 350 S. Dahlia Street, roughly five miles from campus. Admission will be free with a Pioneer ID card.

During this time period, the majority of Pioneer athletics, including both varsity and club teams, will practice off site. According to Halsall, local schools and recreation centers were extremely helpful in providing access to courts and training facilities.

Because DU was selected as the location of the debate last fall, the university had time to rework some of its athletic events so as not to conflict with the Ritchie Center closures. However, as intercollegiate athletic schedules are worked out months and even years in advance, not all conflicts could be avoided.
“When we found out about the debate, we tried to move as many contests out of that window as we could,” said Halsall. “There were a couple that we couldn’t for women’s soccer, so we worked with the CPD [Commission on Presidential Debates] to make those happen.

“Those games will still go ahead, people can still get there; they just won’t be able to come into this building [the Ritchie Center]. We also had to move our exhibition hockey game [on Oct. 6] to the Pepsi Center since Magness won’t be available.”

The Pioneer women’s soccer team will host two home games during this time period, including San Jose State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Utah State on Sunday at 12 p.m. According to head coach Jeff Hooker, the loss of access to the Ritchie Center will require a major adjustment from his team.

“You really have to move out of your comfort zone to not be in your own locker room,” said Hooker. “We’ll have two home games not in there, and you also lose your training facilities and your laundry facilities. It will be an adjustment, but it’s the best thing for the school.”

As mentioned by Halsall, the games will continue as normal besides the lack of access to the Ritchie Center. The teams will utilize the locker rooms in Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium, and fans will have access to the restrooms there as well.

The team will also have to practice off campus several days, as tight security surrounds the debate.

“There are a couple days we’ll go train locally,” said Hooker. “One day, we’ll be at Wash Park. We are trying to take a situation and, instead of it being an inconvenience, make it fun.”