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UPMC SportsWorks
By M. A. Jackson
Carnegie
Science Center's big, new, hands-on exhibit unites the experience of sports for every age level
with the laws of science that control sports, and with the medical implications
of sports injuries. From exciting virtual reality games to physical
challenges, Pittsburgh's UPMC SportsWorks is a first-day tourist activity,
and its proximity to the city's new stadiums underscores that Pittsburgh,
as a great sports-loving town, is worth a visit.
Whatever you want, Pittsburgh's got it. Great views?
Climb Mt. Washington. Eclectic shops? Take the Visa card to Shadyside and
the South Side. Need a doctor or a
degree? Head over to Oakland. Hungry? Chow down in the Strip District.
Sports, you say? Well, Pittsburgh's the place to be. We
have the new PNC Park baseball stadium; a new football stadium; a bridge
named after the late, great ball player Roberto Clemente; a street dubbed
Mazeroski Way in honor of the Pirate's second baseman; and Mario Lemieux
Place in honor of one the greatest hockey players ever. Come August 4, UPMC SportsWorks at
Carnegie Science Center debuts. Before long sports fans will be calling
Pittsburgh "Sports-burgh."
If you're not familiar with UPMC SportsWorks, then it's
time you step up to bat. This $5 million-dollar, 40,000-square-foot exhibit
is the largest, most complete presentation of the science of sports anywhere in the world. When you couple 66 exciting interactive
exhibit experiences with a full-service sports-themed concession stand and
retail shop, and add hundreds of sights and sounds as well as sports memorabilia, you have an
exhilarating and complete
experience.
Located on the North Side of Pittsburgh across the
street from the Carnegie Science Center (you can't miss it--it's the big
blue building next to the Steelers' new home), UPMC SportsWorks supplies a
perfect outing for the sports nut or the science enthusiast. "It
covers the science of sports as well as each sport itself," says
Dennis Bateman, Carnegie Science Center assistant director of exhibits and
facilities. "You can look at it as bobsledding and golf or as
aerodynamics and reaction times."
According to Carnegie Science Center Director Seddon Bennington,
the debut of UPMC SportsWorks so close to the openings of the new stadiums
is a happy coincidence. "Before the new stadiums were confirmed to go
ahead, we were looking at an expansion of the Science Center that would
include a major exhibit on science and sport, in part because this is a big
sports town and in the past this combination of sport and science has been
very popular here," Bennington says.
The idea germinated in June 1998, after ideas for new
exhibits had been collected from Science Center staff, volunteers, and a
survey of visitors. "The research showed sports-related exhibits
ranked on, or near, the top of the list," says Tom Flaherty, the
Science Center's director of exhibits and facilities. Flaherty adds that
when the Center hosted sports-related exhibits in 1991 and 1998, they were
"hugely popular and provided a great opportunity for informal science
education."
Almost half of UPMC SportsWork's cost is being paid for
by a UPMC Health System sponsorship. In fact, the staff at UPMC jumped at
the chance to participate. "We felt funding the exhibit was a great
way of giving back to the community," says Anne Metzger, director of
public relations at UPMC Health System. "We are very excited about the
exhibit," she says. "It takes sports to a different level."
Covering seven themes--Safe Adventure, Try It Yourself,
Sports & Science, Virtual Sports, Fore! Physics, Sportsworks Jr., and
Sports Medicine--UPMC SportWorks features more than 50 individual
components representing everything from baseball and ballooning to monster
trucks, mountain bikes and
golf. Flaherty says even sports
rookies will have a great time at the exhibit. "Basically this is like
a large indoor amusement park with strong educational opportunities,"
he says. "Some of the components aren't really about competitive
sports, but are more leisure-time activities."
But it doesn't matter if you've seen these displays one
or one thousand times, because you'll have fun each time you go to UPMC
SportsWorks. You didn't stop watching football because the Steelers won a
Superbowl, did you?
"Sports is a theme that lends itself well to
creating components that have an open-ended quality," says Mark
Trumbull, Carnegie Science Center director of marketing. For example,
Olympic Sprint challenges you to run a 10-meter track along side a
life-size video screen image of two-time Olympic heptathlon gold medalist
Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Your time and Jackie's are shown at the race end. Not
satisfied? Go home, practice, and return for another run. Or take a group
of friends and see who "wins." Of course it's a good bet that
Jackie will beat all of you.
The pitching cage not only allows you to indulge your
Nolan Ryan wanna-be fantasies, it challenges you to throw the ball the
regulation 60 feet, 6 inches, faster and more accurately each time you step
up to the mound. "You won't believe how far pitchers actually throw
the ball, and that they can throw it that far at speeds over 100 miles an
hour," says Trumbull, who estimates most regular folks get the ball
traveling only a pathetic 35 mph.
Baseball not your thing? Maybe you'd prefer to test your
football passes on accuracy and distance, your ability to shoot a slap shot
against a computerized NHL superstar goalie, or hack away on
the four-hole mini-golf course. UPMC SportsWorks has it all.
And then there are sports many dream of trying but don't
have the, well, chutzpah to actually attempt. Snowboarding and hangliding
too extreme for you? Then try them in our extremely safe virtual-format.
You can also climb a 25-foot "mountain" wall wearing a regulation
harness and rope (those suffering from vertigo can stick to the horizontal
rock wall), drive a Monster Truck simulator (roll the truck over for the
complete effect), teeter on the balance beam like Mary Lou Retton, or
careen down the down an Olympic bobsled track courtesy of motion-simulation
and a large video screen.
Other UPMC SportsWorks components include a special
trampoline (where you can safely jump 20 feet and then do flips), a
wheelchair race, a 20-foot mini NASCAR racing track, a parachute drop
(sorry, you won't be the object plummeting to the ground), a 20-by-70-foot
navigation maze, and virtual volleyball and soccer. Trick Shot teaches you
physics and math while you learn Minnesota Fats-style pool table maneuvers;
Skateboarding tells you about your balance; and the Orbitron, a
gyroscope-like contraption whirls you upside-down, sideways, and backwards.
If you make it through that without tossing your peanuts and Crackerjack,
then try Rotation, which will spin you in a Katerina Witt-like axel.
For families, there's UPMC SportsWorks Jr., an area
specially designed for children ages three to seven, with an obstacle course, minor league
pitching cages, energy bike, and a smaller-scale rock climb. Each exhibit
features information on the science principles behind the sport--geometry,
energy conversion, physics of motion, aerodynamics, trajectory, inertia,
magnetism, light, and more. So when the kids come to you scratching their
heads over a difficult science or math problem, you can say, "Remember
at UPMC SportsWorks, when...." Better yet, get your school to combine
its science and gym classes for a really cool field trip. A gym class field
trip? Hey, why not?
In addition to the science and sports, there's a sports
medicine area compliments of UPMC Health System with information on
injuries, bone stress, and drugs in sports. The UPMC Sports Medicine staff
also compiled the sports-related health tips--covering injury prevention,
proper training and workout techniques, the importance of warm-up, and
sports safety—that accompany almost all the exhibits.
For those who excel in the perilous sport of spectating,
grab a treat at the full service snack bar, and watch the activities from
the huge observation deck. Or take a seat at Be the Judge and rate an
actual Olympic sports event. And don't be so stingy with those 10s. Could you do any better?
Interrupt the games only to check out the sports
memorabilia display on loan from the Allegheny Club, including the 1979
Pirates World Series Trophy and part of the Forbes Field Wall. Are the
trash cans and blue seats nestled throughout UPMC SportsWorks giving you
déjà vu? Relax--they came from
Three Rivers Stadium.
Speaking of stadiums, if you want to avoid the mad crush
of traffic on your way to or from a Pirate or Steeler game, just drop by
UPMC SportsWorks. While building such an exhibit in a town as sports-minded
as Pittsburgh is a no-brainer, UPMC SportsWorks will surely prove to be a
touchdown for sports enthusiasts everywhere--at least that's what the staff
of Carnegie Science Center hopes.
"I would like the scale and unique scope of this
exhibit to attract visitors from Cleveland and Buffalo to Pittsburgh as
well as everywhere in between," says Seddon Bennington. "I want
this to be perceived as a family weekend destination." Bennington adds
that he thinks UPMC SportsWorks will also draw people who have shied away
from the Science Center because they haven't identified with the
science-themed programs. "I'd like the sport aspect and the way we
market this experience to break down some barriers--particularly for young
adults--so we can introduce these new audiences to some science and
technology in a very unthreatening, engaging way."
And what's less threatening than a mini golf course and
pitching cages? Batter up!
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