Progress on Cary Street

Next time you step into the new Monroe Park Campus Recreation Complex the only thing recognizable will be the brick exterior.

When the complex (formerly known as the Cary Street Gym) opens in the spring of 2010, it will open to serve students in new ways, including a rock climbing wall, multi-activity center or MAC and an Aquatic Center.

The rock climbing wall will be located in the center of the 18,000 square foot fitness center. The L-shaped wall will be fully staffed to keep students safe and to ensure proper usage. However, when staff is not available for the wall, students will be able to take advantage of a rock climbing boulder located near the wall for a unique experience.

The Fitness Center will feature all new exercise equipment, including a variety of circuits, free weight area, and a mezzanine with cardio equipment. A Fitness Resource Bar will be centrally located to provide members with a variety of fitness and nutrition information.

The Multi-Activity Center, or MAC will provide an indoor playing field for floor hockey, soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other sports. What makes this space different than a regular gym floor will be the inclusion of nets, a turf floor and penalty boxes.

Also new to the Monroe Park Campus will be the multi-purpose Aquatic Center. More than just a pool, this water complex will host various activities. A multi-person spa, vortex pool, leisure pool, and an activity pool will all share one roof. The activity pool will host scheduled water sports (basketball and volleyball) as well as lap swimming. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike will be able to enjoy many aquatic activities including Dive in Movies.

Of course all of this will come with state of the art features. The new complex will have self check-in available, all digital displays and plenty of natural light.

With the completion of the new roof and the pouring of the cement floor and aquatic facilities, the construction is progressing quickly. For updates on the construction progress please visit http://www.students.vcu.edu/construction/

Weights Without the Wait

In the last month, Rec Sports at the Stuart C. Siegel Center has recorded all time attendance highs four times. Since the closing of the Cary Street Gym, VCU Recreational Sports has responded by extending the hours of the facilities on both campuses, keeping them open until midnight Monday through Thursday. Additionally, the Siegel Center stays open until midnight on Sundays.

Record crowds at the Siegel Center have put the Fitness Center at capacity a few times already, but no students have been turned away. When planning a workout, it is important to consider various times of day in order to get first choice in desired equipment.

“Our busiest hours are between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.,” says Rec Sports Associate Director of Programs, Karen Carden. “5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is an especially busy time when students are getting a workout in before a night class or before they go home for the night.”

With an opening hour of 6 a.m., Rec Sports fitness center users can arrange for an early workout before work and class. Students are encouraged to attend during the early gym hour from 6am until 7:30am.

“We encourage people to come in the early morning or between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.,” says Carden. Also, “It is thinner after lunch from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. because most students are at work on in class,” she says.

Another option available when trying to avoid gym crowding during peak hours is the MCV Campus Recreation Center. The same equipment is available at both locations. Although there are not as many machines, they are all comparable and maintained equally.

If students would like to avoid the high traffic times at the Siegel Center, they are encouraged to arrange their trip to the gym during the thinner periods since their schedules are sometimes more flexible than those of the faculty and staff. For more information on facility hours, please visit http://www.recsports.vcu.edu/facilities/facility_hours.php

Welcome Back to Rec Sports!

From basic gym essentials to Costa Rican adventures look no further to fulfill the “New Year, New You” state of mind. If you have never taken advantage of VCU Recreational Sports, get ready to change. Recreational Sports offers something for everyone.

Group exercise, intramural sports and swim lessons are all part of what Recreational Sports has to offer. Students can attend weekly classes in taekwondo, yoga, Pilates, salsa and much more. These classes are all free to students with a valid VCUcard. Faculty, staff and alumni can take advantage of low cost memberships as well.

Recreational Sports is not just synonymous with the Siegel Center. Facilities include swimming pools at both campuses, the MCV Campus Recreation Center and the Thalhimer Tennis Center on the Monroe Park Campus. Also, next spring Recreational Sports will welcome the new Monroe Park Campus Recreation Complex currently under complete renovation. This all in one recreational facility will serve VCU unlike any other building. If for some reason you have not seen the virtual fly through, make sure to check it out here.

If hitting the gym every day is not your thing, perhaps the Outdoor Adventure Program will be. The program provides unique outdoor activities like kayaking, skiing, hiking and rock climbing available at a low cost to students, faculty, staff, alumni and guests.

Stay tuned this semester on this blog to get the scoop on how to avoid gym crowding and find the perfect group exercise class to share with friends. Also, find out about new classes being added to weekly group exercise. Starting February 10, Zumba classes will begin every Tuesday and Thursday. Zumba is a fitness program influenced with Latin music and dance moves. Make sure to check this new program out along with the other fitness programs offered daily.

Salsa is not just the dance at Rec Sports!

Salsa doesn't just refer to the sauce at VCU Recreational Sports.

Salsa is an informal style of dance involving a partner which has roots in the Caribbean. It involves numerous styles of dancing originating from a mixture of Mambo, Danzon, Guaguanco, Cuban Son and other typical Cuban dance forms.

Chenae Nelson, a 19-year-old exercise science major and junior at VCU, named using the different moves on the dance floor instead of practicing them individually as her favorite part of the class.

“It felt cool to actually dance with a partner … when the mommies and poppies dance together,” Chenae said.

Chenae was drawn to the class by the idea of learning a new dance. Chenae said she had never tried salsa dancing before, but afterwards related that was an opportunity to learn something that you may not have the opportunity to otherwise..

“[You] broaden your knowledge of dance and it’s exercise too,” Chenae said.

For Carlan Burke, a 20-year-old exercise science major and also a junior at VCU, it was his first time participating in the salsa group exercise class, but he said he welcomed the chance to try something new.

“I was learning something outside of my usual box,” Carlan said.

Carlan related the hardest part for him was getting into the groove of the dance steps due to his lack of experience, but that for those looking for something outside of the norm it’s a great choice.

“Prepare to learn something different,” Carlan said.

Recreational Sports offers salsa group exercise classes Sundays from 8:00pm to 9:00pm, and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00pm to 10:00pm during Session II, which runs until December 5th. All classes are free to enrolled VCU students and Recreational Sports members.

You can view the schedule for this session’s other group exercise classes by clicking here.

Come shake your boombsey at Rec Sports!

Recreational Sports patrons worked on their boombsey at the Kukuwa master dance class held at the Siegel Center.

Boombsey being their backsides, according to Kukuwa Nuamah.

Kukuwa, the instructor and creator of the Kukuwa Dance Workout, said the program is a total body workout that combines African, Caribbean and Latin dance into one.

“Nothing is left out,” Kukuwa said.

Kukuwa said she created the style 27 years ago, but it was not until 10 years ago that it became popular. Six years ago she created certifications to train others to teach the program, because the numbers of those interested began to become too overwhelming to handle herself.

Now she owns a business that includes workout clothing and DVDs that have been featured in 'O,' Oprah Winfrey's magazine.

Originally from Ghana, Kukuwa said she created the exercises to move the entire body and work everything from the abs and ribcage to the neck. As a cultural dancer, Kukuwa said she puts Ghana into what she teaches.

Kukuwa said she choreographed the entire dance to music and uses the music to facilitate changes among the different styles of dance.

Pamela Greiss, a 20-year-old biology student and first timer participating in the master class, said her favorite part was the routine dance, where the class participants formed two lines and circle around the classroom.

“Everyone was doing it in sync,” Pamela said.

Pamela said the class was fast paced and required you to keep up with the beat of the music.

“It really works out your abs,” Pamela said.

Erica Jackson, a freshman psychology major, said the instructor’s energy was infectious and caused the class to be high energy.

“It’s just like a big party,” Erica said.

Erica said the class is a positive environment for someone looking to burn large amounts of calories, get a heavy cardio workout or just have a lot of fun.

“You can have fun and be yourself,” Erica said.

Kukuwa will return to VCU on November 23, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. for a certification workshop. Details on how to be certified to teach Kukuwa Dance Workout and Latin, African and Caribbean Dance can be found here.

Bill Tatu Profile

Bill Tatu is a physical therapist working in Cancer Rehabilitation at the VCU Medical Center, providing services for individuals to maintain and restore strength and functional ability.

Bill trained and served in the Army for 20 years before working at VCU Medical Center as a physical therapist and has worked as a part of the MCV Health System for 11 and a half years.

Bill said he first noticed problems with his right hip while serving in the Army, but it worsened over the years and became unbearable during the last six months of 2007. Bill said it was similar to falling off of a cliff how suddenly the pain increased; almost any type of activity would cause intense pain.

“Everything hurt ... coughing hurt,” Bill said.

The only solution was to undergo a total hip replacement which took place in January of 2008. To help prepare for surgery, Bill took up swimming, which played a major part in his recovery from surgery.

Bill said three weeks after the hip replacement, he was back swimming a mile at the MCV Campus Recreation and Aquatic Center, even though he was still on crutches to get around. After about eight weeks he was able to use the other fitness equipment such as the elliptical trainer and stair climber.

“I felt normal at five weeks,” Bill said, “the pain was totally gone.”

Bill said he knew what to expect from the recovery due to his experience as a physical therapist. What did surprise him, he said, was how good he felt after consistent swimming sessions. While prior to surgery he preferred going on long runs, he has found that long swimming sessions don’t generate aches and pains the way running did.

“I'm much stronger than I was before,” Bill said.

Bill said he chose to workout at VCU Recreational Sports facilities instead of other local options because of the proximity to his job and the excellent facilities. The close proximity allows him to workout around his work schedule and he finds that very convenient.

“You wouldn't be able to do that if you were somewhere else,” Bill said.

Curt Dozier Employee Profile

Curt Dozier is a 20-year-old broadcast journalism major who is currently a junior at VCU. Curt has worked for VCU Recreational Sports for about 18 months, usually working at the Siegel Center as a Facility Supervisor.

Curt said he wanted to apply for a job with Rec Sports after witnessing how Rec Sports employees seemed to all know each other. Curt said everyone worked well together and he wanted to be a part of that kind of fellowship.

“It looked like all the employees enjoyed their job,” Curt said.

In addition, Curt said it made sense to get a job at the same place that he was always working out.
Curt said his favorite part of working at Rec Sports is interacting and getting to know the different people that use the Rec Sports facilities.

When he's not working out or just plain working at Rec Sports, Curt enjoys playing basketball, running and listening to music.

As far as plans after Rec Sports, Curt said that he plans to let the winds take him where they may, but one goal he has is to do some traveling.

“I want to see the world,” Curt said.