For some future gold medalist, the road to the Olympics just might begin in Flushing, with the opening of the Al Oerter Recreation Center.
Oerter was a four-time Olympian born in Astoria in 1936. He is one of only three athletes to ever win an Olympic gold medal in the same individual event in four consecutive Games, between 1956 and 1968.
As a discus thrower, he broke the Olympic record each time.
On Saturday, March 7, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, Councilmember John Liu, city commissioners, members of the Oerter family and budding athletes young and old, cut the ribbon on the new, $50-million training facility.
Saying it was “aptly named after one of Queens’ own,” Bloomberg declared, “It’s got everything an aspiring young Olympian would need to start pursuing his or her dreams.”
The new recreation center is located at 131-40 Fowler Avenue (corner of College Point Boulevard) at the eastern edge of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. It features a cardio room, weights, an indoor racquetball court, a gymnasium, an aerobics room, an indoor track and a computer resource center.
“This multi-million dollar facility is an investment in the future both above and below ground. It will improve the environment and will boost spirits and opportunities for visitors of all ages,” Marshall said.
City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe called the center “a wonderful complement to the new pool and rink at nearby Flushing Meadows-Corona Park,” and thanked the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) “for working with us to maximize the use of city land for both recreation and storm water mitigation.”
The center was funded through an agreement with the DEP. Below it and the adjoining soccer field is DEP’s Flushing Bay Combined Sewer Overflow Retention facility, which was completed in 2007.
More than 40 million gallons of wastewater that used to flow untreated into Flushing Bay during rainstorms is now retained, then pumped to the Tallman Island Wastewater Treatment Plant for full treatment.
“We are proud to have constructed facilities that have the twin benefits of serving the recreational needs of the surrounding communities of Flushing and Corona and of cleaning Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek,” said DEP Acting Commissioner Steven Lawitts.
“It’s an honor for our family to have the Al Oerter Recreation Center to open in his name. He’s been an inspiration to many,” said Cathy Oerter, the wife of the center’s namesake, who passed away in 2007. “I hope all those that walk through those doors will know the power of fair play, hard work and being at your best.”
In 1980, at 43 years old, Oerter missed making his fifth US Olympic discus team by four feet. Later that year, in an event for older athletes, he set a world record for 40-44 year olds (227 feet 11 inches) that still stands. The current world record in discus is only 6 feet 11 inches longer.
“Al Oerter was a man of exceptional integrity, humility and kindness – a Queens native who became a legendary Olympian,” Liu said, adding, “it is fitting that our new recreational center be named in his honor.”
The center is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. An annual membership costs $50 for adults, $10 for seniors and is free for children under 18.
