Sweat, Odd Smells and Scary Mirrors?

Hollins students suffer in a less than up-to-date gym.

 

BY: ASHLEIGH KRZYWICKI

 

Ever feel like hitting the treadmill before class? Good luck finding one to work out on at Hollins. Between the limited space and lack of updated equipment students agree the weight room could use a make over.

 

“I think they should bulldoze the whole thing and start over,” said Jen Poggue ‘06. “I think they should have a separate room for treadmills and cardio workout equipment.”

 

Poggue’s right, there needs to be a bigger room or give us back the old free weight room. Is it necessary to have lounge for the athletes? Can’t they lounge in their rooms like the rest of the campus?  

 

The now student athlete lounge used to be a place where students could bend and stretch using free weights and having access to medicine balls and mats without fear that the girl on the treadmill could see her working those calf muscles in the mirror.

 

Some students have gone so far as to get memberships to other gyms in the area so that they may work out with state-of-the-art machines. To become a member at the Roanoke YMCA it costs about $43 a month with a $25 joining fee. Can a college student afford that? And if they can, where’s the convenience in going across town just to run on a treadmill?

 

“I don’t use our weight rooms because the space is so small and confined and you barely have enough room to breathe, much less work out,” said Julie Camden ’07. “I go to the downtown sports club or the YMCA, much more spacious.”

 

Most college gyms have several rooms for students to work out on. For example, the Virginia Tech gym has several rooms equipped with treadmills, bicycles, and other cardio equipment. It’s also equipped with two television sets installed so students may catch up on the news while doing their daily run.

 

The Hollins website boasts of our “multimillion-dollar athletic complex with playing courts for basketball, fully equipped Nautilus weight room, training rooms, sauna, climbing wall, the new 10-court outdoor Batten Tennis Center, excellent riding facilities, and Northern Swimming Center with a competition-sized pool and a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

 

What a load of crap. Did they mean “multimillion-dollars” in the 1980’s?

 

 “You can’t really see the Blue Ridge Mountains when you are working out because there aren’t very many windows in there,” said Molly Fair ’07. “Actually the Hollins athletic facility is not so great either, it’s small and there are 2 gyms. The new gym is used more because it’s bigger and has more space for games. The Tayloe Gym sucks, what is it used for? Nothing really, why can’t they put some treadmills and stuff in there,” said Fair.

 

It’s agreed we need more space and more cardio equipment, but what about the other equipment in there. It could use some updating as well. Hollins should use some of the millions of dollars they get a year to update our gym. It’s not like we don’t pay enough for an adequate college experience.

 

It was rumored that there were supposed to be brand new machines in place by mid-March, however endowment didn’t come through as expected. So now the student body must wait until next year and hope that when they walk through the weight room door there will be shiny new machines that were made after we were born.

 

How can the school fork up some cash for some new equipment? Easy, cut down on the amount of encyclopedias in the reference section of the Library, they are hard enough to find. Then they can use that money to invest in some Nautilus equipment from this millennium or a treadmill.

 

Perhaps some of the professors here don’t need to be paid a hideous amount of money to teach two classes. Then Hollins can use some of that money to get some new free weights or knock out a wall. The possibilities are endless!

 

Maybe if everyone crosses their fingers and wishes real hard there will be a TV equipped with cable and a remote (yes a remote). Then students will have something to watch, besides their reflection, while running next year as well. “I get tired of looking in the mirror at the sweat running down my face. It’s kind of gross. I don’t like it. Maybe they should pick a different wall to put those treadmills on or better yet, a different room,” said Poggue.

 

They could use the student athlete lounge for the treadmills. There’s already a TV in there and it has windows. If you close one eye and cock your head to the right a little then those Blue Ridge Mountains might just be visible.

 

Sweat, smells, and well everything else that exists in that weight room could use some sprucing up a long with the rest of the “multimillion-dollar athletic complex.” But until then, be courteous and use the wet naps in the giant white bucket. They are there for a reason!

Hollins women practice for the upcoming basketball game in the new gym.