Before students and staff left for winter break, workout gym equipment was housed in the East dome of Breckon Sports Center. Now, as the semester begins to take off, students and staff may notice it is no longer there.
Instead, the equipment has been distributed among four different locations throughout the Park University campus. Room 816, which is located in the underground, is primarily focused on weight equipment. It includes a dumbbell rack, five weight benches, glute and leg press machines, and three 7-foot tall racks. Labor Hall holds two elliptical machines, six treadmills, two rowers and a few dumbbell weights. Also, both Copley Quad and Chesnut Hall have small rooms reserved for two treadmills, two elliptical machines and a functional trainer.
Some of these locations received a combination of both old and new machines.
“We’ve modified some equipment in order to fit these new spaces,” said Ben Zibers, coordinator for student engagement, “so students will still be able to do the same things on new equipment as they could before on the old, it’s just more condensed now.”
Once Labor Hall and the underground have their official openings, doors will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Labor Hall officially opened Jan. 17, after a fresh coat of paint. The underground space still waits for its official opening, so expect different hours for this particular location until then.
A work-study program is in affect for fitness centers in the underground and Labor Hall. Staff will be available to sign students in and answer any questions.
Labor Hall will also administer weekly classes. Anyone is welcome to join. Options include Yoga, Boot Camp, a Pilates and Yoga combination course, and Zumba. Times and days for these classes vary.
“Copley Quad and Chesnut (Hall) will be 24-hour use for residential students to workout at their own risk,” said Zibers.
In order to get into these doors, residents must give their name, student ID number, select either Copley or Chesnut, and agree to terms and conditions in an online application. A link to this application was sent by Student Life on Jan. 16 via e-mail to all students. Approximately 24 hours after completing the form, students can then use their cards to access the fitness room.
This arrangement is temporary – about three to five years. A master plan for a new facility was recently presented and has been approved. So students and staff can expect changes once more in the future.
“Right now we’re going to do the best with what we have,” said Zibers, “and right now this is what’s going to work best for the students.
On average, there are 25 users a day that take advantage of Park’s fitness centers. These modifications that were completed over break will have an affect on the 279 total participants. Athletes will also be affected.
Emily Key, freshman soccer midfielder, still isn’t sure how she will be able to construct an effective workout with so many facilities.
“It’s hard for off-season athletes to workout and train when everything is all scattered, so it’s going to be a challenge to go from one place to another.”
Cody Malloy, junior third basemen and outfielder for the baseball team, said he understands when it comes to changes.
“I understand that, for many safety reasons, it was necessary to change and move things around,” said Malloy.
But Malloy said he believes that it is going to be a challenge for anyone to truly excel.
Students should continue to look out for e-mails received over the course of the next few weeks regarding any changes or additions to the fitness centers.