The WACO Warrior Athletic program took a huge step Friday, with the ribbon cutting for the brand new Kaufman Athletic Training and Fitness Center.

The crown jewel of the Warrior athletic department was unveiled to the public as a 9.544 square foot facility. It houses a new weight room, community fitness center, locker rooms, coaches offices and an athletic training office. The facility was made possible by donation from the Mark and Mary Kaufman Foundation. Mark Kaufman a 1982 WACO graduate and founder of Athletico Phyiscal Therapy in Chicago talked about the facility and his vision for its use. “It’s great having the student athletes here with us today. It’s important. It’s one thing to have a facility, it’s another thing to use it to it’s full potential, and that’s up to you.”

After the ceremony, WACO Athletic director Chad Edeker and WACO student Colton Horak talked about their excitement for the new facility. “We had about 30 or 40 kids in the weight room this summer in anticipation of this being opened. That’s about double the normal number. Once we get into this great facility it will be even more. It’s a cool environment. The kids will want to be here.”

Horak said, “I think it’s amazing, it’s a great opportunity for our community, our school, for all of my classmates and teammates,  it’s going to be great. The whole of the whole thing is amazing. It gets you pumped up, it gets you excited about going to weights. It’s inspiring.”

A community open house will be held on September 14th.