New Toldo Lancer Centre wows staff and students

The new Toldo Lancer Centre is not a hard sell to out-of-town athletes.

“When you tell players we have a brand new $73-million facility the eyes go big,” said Chantal Vallee, head coach of the women’s basketball team.

She and others have marvelled over the 119,000-square-foot building.

“I can't believe it. It's a state-of-the-art building,” said former track and field athlete Fiona Rocheleau, who now works at the new eight-lane fully accessible 25-metre pool.

The University of Windsor’s new Toldo Lancer Centre opened to staff and students in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, July 11, 2022. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor) “We wanted to make sure everyone felt welcomed,” said Vincent Georgie, UWindsor’s acting associate vice-president external. “Everyone was able to access it and feel safe and really enjoy the space.”

According to Friends of Adie Knox, the city promised the pool at the old facility would remain open until the Lancer Centre was ready for the public, but that hasn't happened.

The reason, according to a city official, is aquatic services have yet to return to “pre-pandemic levels.”

Next to the pool is a triple gym surrounded by retractable seating for up to 2,500 people on the main floor and a track on the second floor. Megan Gahima, a varsity volleyball player, practiced on the new floor with her teammates and is amazed by the upgrade.

“We're really excited just for the season too,” she said. “We'll be the first game in here so there's just so much excitement really around the whole thing.”

An image of soccer grad Giulia Barile is on a wall in a second-floor hallway with others like two-time Olympian Melissa Bishop and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Jamie Adjetey-Nelson as the school celebrates their athletic history.

“I didn’t know it was going to be there but when I saw it was a pretty amazing feeling playing here for five years and now feeling like I’m part of the Lancer family forever is pretty cool,” she said.

The University of Windsor’s new Toldo Lancer Centre opened to staff and students in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, July 11, 2022. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor) The TLC has a spin studio, a 10,000 square-foot gym that spans two floors, multi-purpose rooms, social spaces and more. The facility, including the pool, is also accessible with touchless doors, an elevator and more. Mikala Jones, program coordinator for adapted physical exercise, is thrilled with the building's accessibility features.

“The stairs have braille on it so for individuals that have visual impairments so it's really nice for them. They can really feel and they have the railings,” Jones said.

The new TLC won't be open to the public until later this year. Those plans are being worked on. Georgie feels combining the new facility with other sports amenities in the region opens up new opportunities for sports tourism in Essex County.

“That’s something we thought was really important,” he said. “It opens up so many opportunities for Windsor-Essex to host major events. We think it really fills in a very compelling offering in terms of athletic space.”

The University of Windsor’s new Toldo Lancer Centre opened to staff and students in Windsor, Ont. on Monday, July 11, 2022. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)