Beyond the K-Ville Lawn

After seeing nooks and crannies of the athletics department, it has become quite clear that Duke athletics is a whole ecosystem of its own within the Duke bubble.

I toured the West Campus athletics complexes on a sunny afternoon Oct. 3 with Associate Director of Sports Information Lindy Brown and Assistant Director of Sports Information Chris Cook. Cook first brought me into the Murray Weight Room, where a few athletes were squeezing in an afternoon workout. Murray is the hub where all of the varsity athletes practice both during team sessions and individual workouts.


We then walked down to the fencing practice room, right below Card Gym. Fencing head coach Alex Beguinet was sparring with senior Dylan Nollner, while other members of the team practiced nearby. Beguinet, who has been at Duke for almost 30 years, crafted most of the wooden cabinets and racks by hand, and collected all of the fencing memorabilia and artwork around the room.

We then continued to the newly-renovated Card Gym, which hosts many of the intramural teams. Some of the Duke Athletics staff and coaches were gathered in the gym for a game of lunchtime basketball. Throughout the week, non-athletes can get a glimpse of athletics staff practicing in the gym.

I also got a peek into the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, reserved for use during the colder months of the year. In the Yoh Football Center, I got to tour the athlete lounge and study room reserved for players.

Next, I visited another athlete lounge in Cameron Indoor Stadium, this time for the women’s basketball team—complete with the music video game Rock Band, a massage chair and a kitchen area. Brown showed the hallways that the basketball players rush through to enter Cameron’s court for games. The inner halls of Cameron are lined with faux windows that were originally Cameron’s outer windows before the stadium was expanded.

When athletes aren’t practicing or hanging out, many will study in the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center, which offers academic support and tutoring. So the next time you cross Towerview Road, take a look around—you may learn something new about the world of Duke athletics.