While perhaps waiting to change rooms, the Spurs will already change training centers. A 500 million dollar project, once all the buildings have been built, which should be usable when the next “training camp” opens, so that Victor Wembanyama and his teammates can take advantage of it.
“The Rock”, in the La Cantera district, is the baby of RC Buford, the GM of the Spurs from 2002 to 2019, who has since become president of the franchise.
Spurs culture in function
The latter explains that he visited more than 200 training centers around the world, in all sports (football, skiing, cycling, Formula 1, eSports, etc.) in order to determine what worked and what did not work.
“We are not trying to build this center to be the best in the NBA”, ensures RC Buford. “We’re just going to build this building to meet our needs and to have the best possible environment to build the Spurs culture. It’s not about being better or worse than others.
And Spurs culture can be summed up in the famous image of the rock, by Danish reformer Jacob Riis.
“When nothing seems effective, I watch the stonecutter hit his rock a hundred times before anything happens. And at the 101st blow, the stone breaks in two, and I know that it was not this blow that broke it, but all those that were given before”.
Gregg Popovich’s mantra since taking power in San Antonio, to value the invisible work that allows visible success, the metaphor therefore represents the culture of San Antonio, which must permeate this “Human Performance Campus”. Because the 20-hectare complex intends to make San Antonio a major center for science and medicine related to sport with its grounds, its medical imaging tools, its 2.40m deep rehabilitation pools (to fully immerse all players, etc.) or even its rooms dedicated to mental health.
An outdoor space with free access
An apparent culture from the car park…
“We really tried to implement this idea and this concept from the start”explains Phil Cullen, project manager for the training center. “Players go up the stairs, they start to see the lines of the pitch, then they see the champion banners. The quote “Pound the Rock” is the basis of this space. »
“The Rock” is particularly aptly named because the construction teams spent four months moving and crushing tons of rock to lay the foundations of the various buildings.
With this training center, the Spurs recall their attachment to San Antonio, while some were worried about seeing them move to a more buoyant market. Because the culture of the franchise is also this link with the local community, materialized by the presence of a park, a paddling pool, a restaurant and a large outdoor screen where passers-by can watch films or matches. There is already a large dog park, and the resort is located on a promenade that circles the town. An outdoor space with free access.
