Students pumped up for fitness

$2.4M facility opened Tuesday

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

By AMEE BOHRER

The Register-Mail

GALESBURG - The E and L Andrew Fitness Center at Knox College opened Tuesday, and by mid-afternoon it was already bustling with students eager to try out the new equipment in the $2.4 million facility.

"I think it's going to make our campus more fit," head athletic trainer Scott Sunderland said. "We're clearly developing sound minds here; now we can work on developing sound bodies as well."

Senior Hillary Loomis wandered around looking at the new facility and equipment, although she wasn't there to work out just yet.

"I think it looks pretty good," Loomis said. "I'm glad they finally got around to it."

Interim Fitness Center Director C.J. Rugh and about 25 students have been hired to manage the facility, Sunderland said. The college is looking at candidates for a permanent director.

The fitness center is one component in a multi-year plan developed by the college's Fitness Center and Athletic Initiatives Task Force to upgrade fitness, recreation and athletic facilities on the Knox campus. Future projects include renovations of the outdoor track and football field, according to Knox College Director of Public Relations Karrie Heartlein.

Ground was broken in July 2005, and a formal dedication for the public will be Feb. 17, when lead benefactors Knox College Trustee Laurel Andrew (Class of 1986) and her parents, Edward and Edith Andrew, and their family members, will be present. Fifty other individuals contributed.

The facility is not open to the public and only Knox students, faculty and staff are allowed to use the fitness center, Heartlein said.

"It's not open to the public because we don't want to get crosswise with the Knox County YMCA," she said. "They serve the public."

The central area of the fitness center contains 19 cardio-vascular exercise machines and 19 Cybex strength-training machines. Exercise equipment on the top floor faces a large grid of windows affording a panoramic view of Trevor Field and the Knox campus.

The main entrance to the fitness center is in the west corner of the building, next to Trevor Field, Heartlein said, but it can also be accessed through the hallway of Memorial Gymnasium, which connects the fitness center to the T. Fleming Fieldhouse.

Four 42-inch TVs and a seven-zone sound system provide entertainment during workouts. In the corner of the main room, there is a stretching apparatus with metal handlebars and pictorial guides for stretches targeting specific muscle groups, along with other equipment.

There also is a studio room that will be used for exercise classes and will be available for group and individual use during times between scheduled programs.

A guardrail in the main room overlooks the downstairs weight-training room, which features six power-lifting cages with adjustable benches and safety spotters for weight lifters. A wall of mirrors faces six power-training platforms. There also are about 10 pieces of plate-loaded exercise equipment with preset range of motion.

Two new locker rooms with 140 lockers have been added downstairs around the corner from the weight room.

Students milling around were pleased with the new facility.

Sophomore Tyler Hill, a football player, said he appreciates the power-lifting equipment and free-weights in the lower level of the fitness center. He works out about eight hours a week and said although the weight room in Memorial Gymnasium allowed him to complete his workouts, the newness of the fitness center is motivating.

"It just makes you feel better when you're working out in a place like this," he said.

Junior Donielle Augustson, a track thrower, said she is happy about the new fitness center because it will allow her to begin working out again for the first time in a year. A back injury from last year prevented her from doing any exercises that offer no support for her back, such as free-weights.

"I didn't get to lift last year because they didn't have the equipment to support my back," Augustson said. "Now, I get to get back in shape without hurting myself."

Another plus, she said, is that with multiple cardio exercise machines, the wait to use them will shorter.

A grin broke out on Knox post-baccalaureate fellow Michael DeGrand's face as he pounded a treadmill facing the panoramic windows.

"It's beautiful," he said, speaking of the view. "It's like getting to be outside, with air conditioning. I feel so spoiled."

Hours

<0x27A4> 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Friday

<0x27A4> 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday

<0x27A4> 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday

Fitness Center Facts

<0x27A4> 120 feet wide, 50 feet deep, two-levels on the west side of Memorial Gymnasium

<0x27A4> 2,785 square feet in the cardio-vascular exercise area, an increase of 150 percent

<0x27A4> 2,860 square feet in the free-weight training area, an increase of 50 percent

<0x27A4> 800 square feet in fitness studio

<0x27A4> Two new locker rooms, with 140 new lockers

<0x27A4> Sprinkler system installed in adjacent T. Fleming Fieldhouse