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COLUMBIA FENCING ROOM
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QUICK FACTS
Official Name: Columbia Fencing Room
Date Opened: Updated in October 2018.
Seating Capacity: 200
Surface/Structure: 8-lanes, 25-yards long
Location: Dodge Fitness Center, Morningside Heights campus, Columbia University
Address: 3030 Broadway, Mail Code 1900, New York, N.Y. 10027
THE FACILITY
Located in Dodge Fitness Center, Columbia’s new one-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art fencing room officially opened in October 2018 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Radical Fencing, a young fencing company working to incorporate new technology and cutting edge design, headlined the project. The most unique feature of the new fencing room is its shock-absorbent floors. This surface is designed to be more resilient for the fencers and help prevent injuries caused by jumping or overuse. The new floor has a United States Patent and is the first of its kind. Another new feature of the room is its flush surface, as all fencing wiring is now hidden under the floor. Fencers can now run from one end to another without tripping or having to step up and down from the strip to the non-fencing surface.
Columbia first tested Radical Fencing's design during the 2015 Ivy League Championships, which was hosted at Dodge Fitness Center. Radical Fencing brought in one of its strips, which was used for practice. Columbia Head Coach Michael Aufrichtig liked what he saw and began to plan for its large-scale implementation thereafter.
Before the renovation, the fencing room included eight strips, none of which were Olympic size. Now, the room has nine total strips, six of which are regulation length, and all of which are regulation width.
The fencing floor was built off-site in Wisconsin, then shipped to Morningside Heights in 270 separate panels that fit together like a puzzle. The floating floor, called as such because it sits on top of the existing floor, took two weeks to install at Columbia.
The Dodge Physical Fitness Center is located at Broadway and West 119th Street. However, the building cannot be entered from 119th Street; it can only be entered from the campus level, accessible through the 116th Street gates.
COLUMBIA FENCING ROOM AMENITIES
- Competition/practice home for Columbia’s men’s and women’s fencing programs
- State-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind shock absorbent floor which is designed to be more resilient for fencers and help prevent injury
- Nine total strips, six are regulation length, all are regulation width
- Floating Floor was built in Wisconsin and shipped in 270 separate panels that fit together like a puzzle
- Training Facilities
- Columbia Athletic Training Room
- Columbia Equipment Room
- Team locker rooms and changing facility
- Aldo T. “Buff” Donelli Strength and Conditioning Room
- Access to Dodge Fitness Center (coaches’ offices)
