Southern Utah University gymnastics' facilities include the America First Event Center and the Harris Center training complex.
The America First Event Center, a 5,300-seat arena is as comfortable as any gymnastics facility in the country. Dedicated in 1985, the America First Event Center is intimate, yet spacious, with every seat in the house providing an excellent view of all the competition venues. Southern Utah has always been among the leaders in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference in home meet attendance.
Since opening in November of 1985, the America First Event Center has attracted thousands of people to Cedar City, for Thunderbird sports, big-name concerts, and numerous other athletic and performing arts events.
The Jay Dee and Alice C. Harris Center houses Southern Utah University’s gymnastics training facility, one of the most advanced training facilities in the nation. Boasting a complete array of gymnastics training equipment and spotting systems, the center is constantly being upgraded to keep pace with the latest innovations in gymnastics training. In 2022 the gymnastics training facility received an upgrade to the camera capture system which allows for immediate feedback for athletes and coaches in high resolution.
Currently, the center houses four complete pit systems, upgraded prior to the 2010 season, and an in-floor trampoline. The pit systems provide the ultimate in safety while accommodating training in the most advanced gymnastics techniques. Even gymnastics skills of the highest difficulty can be practiced in the facility with reasonable safety.
The facility’s floor, vaults, beams, and bars are the most advanced equipment available and will easily allow a squad of 20 or more gymnasts to work out unencumbered by other athletes. Indeed, the pavilion holds up to 150 youth gymnasts during summer camps and club workouts.
Opened in June of 1990, the center is named in recognition of longtime SUU supporters Jay Dee and Alice C. Harris and is the centerpiece of the ongoing expansion of Southern Utah University’s Eccles Coliseum complex. The Harris Center houses many coach's offices including Gymnastics, Football, and Track and Field in its west wing, while the east wing is now known as the Coach Joe & Dr. Jean Reeve Lopour Athletic Academic Center which serves as the academic resource center for the University's Athletic Department.
