Turning ORU's Aerobics Center into a state-of-the-art fitness facility
By Sarah Dash

A padded stretching area, soundproof aerobics area, televisions with FM headset plug-ins. For those who enjoyed using the Aerobics Center before, these and other changes will only add icing to the cake (or maybe the applesauce on the cottage cheese). The AC started remodeling in mid-June to improve its facility to meet member needs.

Aerobics Center Director Janice Hensley regrets that many faculty and staff do not know how much the AC now provides. "We have as much to offer as local gyms," Hensley said.

The Program Coordinator for the Aerobics Center, Audrey Reeve, came up with the idea to remodel. "We did visit about half a dozen or so other facilities. We took digital pictures and brought them back," Reeve said. Designers took the best of the other gyms' ideas.

The remodeling, coordinated in-house, altered the setup of the upstairs weight room. The track stretching area was taken out to expand the weight room. Instead of having an open area at the top of the stairs that led to the weight room, there is now a small hallway. Previously, students in aerobics classes were found stretching at the top of the stairway. Now they have a padded carpet stretching area inside the upstairs exercise room.

The weight room itself was restructured. "We wanted to be able to organize equipment upstairs so that it was in specific areas," Reeve said. All weight machines were put at one end with the cardiovascular equipment in the middle of the room. Similar machines were grouped.

Due to remodeling, the dance aerobic classes once held in the gymnastics area will soon be held in a new room upstairs with improved acoustics and special, plush carpeting.

"We put in a soundproof aerobics studio with special flooring, a stage and mirrors on two walls," Reeve said.

The new, fully enclosed room keeps sound within the studio and gives outstanding acoustics to aerobics classes.

"The renovations of the AC will benefit the classes of the HPER Department by having a room for the classes with loud music to be contained in a small area as well as an improved area for stretching. Overall it is a blessing to the HPER Department," said Dr. Fritz Huber, Chair of the HPER Department.

The new setup includes more mirrors, carpeting on the walls up to the mirrors (so people can stretch without marking the walls) and more magazines. There are stretching machines, sit-up mats and a main free-weight area. Soon exercise charts with the do's and don'ts of cardiovascular exercise will be hung on the new bulletin board.

Machines in the exercise room are faced toward the TVs so exercisers can watch their favorite programs while getting an aerobic workout. A VCR is positioned in front of the bikes so spinner tapes can be played during workouts. FM transmitters are also available. Those exercising with FM radios can plug their headsets into the transmitter and receive the station they are watching on TV without any sound in the room.

The AC also offers fitness consultations. The fitness specialists give a one-hour free session for the first three visits and one free additional hour a month. They can help a person start individualized workout routines and can also make suggestions if a person wants to start water fitness or work on rehabilitation.

"We want to get our whole community, the ORU community, healthy," Hensley said. This is why the Aerobics Center started to offer lifetime recreation sessions geared for alumni, faculty and staff. These are free, nonacademic sessions. "If I'm busy one day I don't need someone taking roll or making me take a test. I just want a way that I can stay healthy," Hensley said, referring to the benefits of these sessions.

Hensley is hopeful that the remodeling will attract the attention of staff who will begin to use the facilities available. "I have found in the past that we've had people actually purchasing memberships to, say, All-American, or other gyms and we have a free facility here. A lot of that had to do with not having the equipment at first and now we're adding that equipment and making [the AC] a user-friendly place," Hensley said.

The AC also recently started a program so spouses can buy a membership to participate at the ORU gym. The membership is $35 per semester or $90 a year.

Family time is on Friday night from 7 to 10 p.m. and on Saturday afternoons from 12 to 4 p.m. Faculty, students and staff can bring their children and spouses during this time.

"We feel that our facility is at a point now that we have as much to offer as any other gym. In the four years that I've been here, we've changed the place tremendously," Hensley said.

The remodeling process is nearly complete and is expected to wrap up at the end of September.

Students can look forward to other improvements at the AC as well. The gym will soon have a link on the ORU website. This site will show when the courts are scheduled, so that a person will not make an unnecessary trip to use the AC.

The Aerobics Center staff would like suggestions on adding to the facility to meet its members' needs. They have several courses they are considering offering, but they would like input. Reeve asks that students call her at 495-6918 with suggestions.

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