FACILITIES & DIRECTIONS

Long one of the most well-designed and spacious training gyms in the nation, the Frances Smith Gymnastics Practice Facility underwent a facelift, during the summer of 2023, completed with updates inside the practice gym, the team locker room, as well as near and around the team locker room on the bottom floor of Coleman Coliseum. Additions included new lighting inside the Frances Smith Gymnastics Practice Facility and the team locker room, along with newly designed wall art throughout the gym. Design graphics were also inserted on the walls throughout the lobby of the practice facility, and the hallway leading to the team locker room.

The facilities – from our practice gym and arena to the state-of-the-art training and academic centers – are second to none.  They allow our student-athletes to train at a championship level every day.

The new updates added new lighting inside the gym, with a fresh look to the wall-reminders of the Crimson Tide's rich championship heritage, highlighted by larger-than-life murals of the Tide's 2012 NCAA championship team and the most recent 2021 Southeastern Conference championship team, as well as several Alabama legends.

The hallway that leads from the gym also features five images that are highlighted by words that define Crimson Tide gymnastics history of excellence - Tradition, Growth, Bamaly, Excellence and Joy. These words inspire all to uphold the tradition of excellence and legacy of champions. The other side of the hallway includes new wall graphics, featuring both the Script A logo and the Southeastern Conference logo, highlighting the competitive conference in which Alabama Gymnastics competes in. Further down the hall, “A Legacy of Champions; Crimson Tide Gymnastics” graphic sits decorated on the wall, in the iconic crimson red.

Also new in 2023, the lobby directly outside of the practice facility now showcases show-stopping, floor-to-ceiling wall art, featuring the Script A logo on one side, with “Roll Tide” mirroring the other.

The Tide's team suite also received upgrades during 2023, including new lighting throughout the locker room, along with an open closet that allows the team’s leotard designs to hang visibly, upon first entrance into the space.

All aspects of the complex come together in a marriage of form and function that gives Alabama a training edge. Countless hours went into designing the 12,500 square-foot gym, creating a facility that is both beautiful, but designed to minimize and alleviate the impact of training on the gymnasts' bodies.
Multiple soft-landing pits are available for all four apparatuses, giving the Tide the freedom to sharpen their skills in enhanced safety. This setup also gives Alabama the capability of teaching a variety of skills at the same time.

The main practice area includes an in-ground trampoline and tumbling strips. The sound system that drives the Tide's practices surrounds the floor exercise area with the same level of sound Alabama will encounter in a meet setting.

The practice gym also includes a state-of-the-art video analysis system, provided by the Tide's booster organization, The Medalist Club.

The system has several playback and analysis options that are in use every day in practice, allowing the coaches to provide instant feedback on a routine. Having three complete systems in the gym running at all times allows the coaches and gymnasts constant analysis. The system also helps compress the time it takes to make a change to a skill or routine, allowing the gymnasts to get more out of each practice.
In addition to a variety of playback options, the coaches can also compare and contrast routines using a variety of tools within the Dartfish Pro software.

The video system is just the newest technical addition to Alabama's state-of-the-art training facility. The equipment is arranged to make the flow of practice extremely fluid. There are five uneven bars stations, six balance beams, two vaults and an oversized floor in place.

In addition to a fully equipped training room, the Tide's team suite was updated in 2021 with new carpet throughout, a sofa and amazing graphics in addition to the computer stations and meeting space.

There are few atmospheres better in collegiate athletics than a gymnastics Friday night in Coleman Coliseum - from the roar of the crowd when Alabama marches in through the last routine. That atmosphere has only improved over the last several years following major upgrades to the main arena of Coleman Coliseum aimed at enhancing the meet-day atmosphere. The new amenities feature an array of state-of-the-art video boards, including a center-hung display that features four massive, high-definition video panels flanked by two video rings. The entire unit weighs more than 12,000 pounds. The center-hung display is accompanied by a pair of video and stat displays on each end of the facility.

The latest enhancements also include more floor seating for the fans, bringing the crowd closer than ever before to the action.
Coleman Coliseum saw its greatest transformation prior to the 2006 season when the entire facility was updated in grand fashion. Behind a bold modernized facade, the interior lobbies and concourses were expanded and upgraded. In the main seating area, 15,000-plus seats, all theater style, welcome gymnastics crowds along with a 6,400-square foot club area along the east side of the arena.

All this enhances Coleman Coliseum's reputation as one of the best places in the nation to watch gymnastics. Since the gymnastics team began competing in the Coliseum in the late-1980s, Alabama has hosted some of the biggest gymnastics meets in the country including the 1991, 1996 and 2002 NCAA Championships and the 1988, 1993 and 1999 SEC Championships. The Tide hosted its 16th NCAA Regional Championship in the spring of 2021.

GPS Address:  1201 Coliseum Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL  35487

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, in Birmingham, AL is located one hour from the University of Alabama campus.