Back in the early 1970s, Carlos Barquin had a dream of one day being able to provide student-athletes who played for him at Belen Jesuit all the resources they could possibly need to succeed. Barquin made it work for years as the Wolverines’ athletic director and founded what’s now one of the top athletic programs in the state.
But this week, when he set foot in the school’s new on campus athletic center, Barquin looked around and smiled.
The dream had been made reality.
Over a year after breaking ground and over four years since the school began planning building something like it, Belen Jesuit debuted its new Roberto Suris Athletic Center this past week.
The state-of-the-art facility, which is named after the project’s benefactor, Belen alum and local developer Roberto Suris, is a three-story, 52,000-square-foot building with two weight rooms, a gym, two dozen treadmills, ERG Machines, golf simulators, and many more training rooms and equipment which is expected to serve over 1,000 student-athletes who participate in 16 sports.
Teresa Martinez Belen Jesuit Archive
“It’s a dream come true,” said Barquin, who retired as athletic director after the 2022-23 school year and is now Special Assistant to the President. “When we broke ground here I said after this was done, I was done. When construction started a year ago, I told our school President (Father Willie Garcia-Tunon) that I would like to see this completed.”
For Suris, who was a running back for Belen and a track sprinter who ran for Barquin’s team when he graduated in 1979, it was a no-brainer to sponsor the project for his alma mater.
“Belen was an influential school for me in my formation,” Suris said. “Jesuit education and sports have been a big part of my life and I’m blessed to be able to contribute and build a facility like this that will help these students. You learn so much through sports. I hope this will help generations of boys and teach them skills and attitudes that will help them succeed in life.”
The facility is located adjacent to the school’s football field and swimming pool at the heart of Belen’s campus. Suris and his company broke ground over a year ago and with the help of several other alums got it done in time to begin helping its programs during this 2024-25 athletic season.
“This is going to be great because it will give any team a chance to come work out and not have to lose time to train,” sophomore running back Jose Batista said.
The Estate Gymnasium is located on the first floor and will be home to the Wolverines’ middle school basketball and volleyball teams. The pickleball and fencing clubs will also utilize the space throughout the school year.
The second and third floors will feature new weight rooms and numerous modern equipment tailored to each sports needs.
“There isn’t a section in this building that hasn’t been meticulously thought out, from the decor to the equipment,” Barquin said. “We’ve considered not only what will be utilized by our students today but how it will continue to be used in the years to come.”
Football players have their names on each locker and the vast amount of training space and dedicated areas and rooms for each sport will give each team, as Batista pointed out, a chance to train without scheduling conflicts with other sports.
One of the weight rooms inside the new Roberto Suris Athletic Center on the campus of Belen Jesuit School in Miami, Fla. Carlos Barquin, Jr. Belen Jesuit Archive
“We have practice very late so having that cross-country room gives us a place to finish homework and form bonds with the team as well as train,” said Belen cross-country runner Marcelo Mantecon.
Among some of the innovative features are a climate-controlled room which can simulate colder temperatures for the school’s cross-country runners as well as ERG machines for their rowing team.
“This is a fitting tribute to a program that has grown tremendously and been so successful over a long period of time,” Garcia-Tunon said. “And it’s a tribute to Carlos who started our athletic program and retired but stayed on staff to see through the completion of this. It’s his swan song.
This is not only for the students that play sports, but for all students here at Belen.”
Belen’s athletes began using the new facility on Friday and said they are already seeing the benefits.
“It’s going to help all the sports teams become one community,” Belen swimmer Christopher De Angulo said.
Junior football standout Shawn James added: “As we build together, that locker room is going to be a huge help,” James said. “This (facility) will give us the chance to keep bonding together and work. And one thing we’re definitely going to do is work together.”
September 2024. Miami Herald.
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