Students speak out about CRC workout

Chrissy Naples had a very simple, Ebert-and-Roeper-like critique of the Campus Recreation Center (CRC): two thumbs up. Naples, a fifth-year Industrial Design major who uses the indoor track three times a week, said that she found the CRC's long open hours to her convenience since she usually tries to work out in the mornings or evenings.

"I've been working out regularly since my first year and this place has always been packed," Naples said. "[Working out] promotes a healthier lifestyle."

Similarly, Sara Scruggs, a second-year Management major, finds the CRC much to her liking, while Anna Bancroft, a second-year Aerospace Engineering major, enjoys the Center's convenience.

Scruggs and Bancroft, both of whom participate in Georgia Institute of Technology Fitness Program (G.I.T FIT) classes such as Beginner's Bellydancing, said they found living close to the CRC useful when attending their fitness classes regularly.

Built as a venue for the centennial Olympics in 1996, the CRC, which was then known as the Student Athletic Complex (SAC), was converted as a venue for recreation on campus after the Olympics ended.

Since then, the CRC has undergone several extensions and facelifts, the last of which added a second pool and waterslide in 2004. The CRC has even won national recognition as an "Outstanding Sports Facility" from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association as well as numerous other awards for its architecture and design.

Fitness activities available to students at the CRC include aerobics, rock climbing (pictured), swimming, weight lifting and more.

While most students had positive views of the facilities and operation standards of the CRC, some also spoke of the hassles they had in maintaining a regular workout schedule there.

Items that topped the list of challenges students faced included finding time to exercise when classes and work got rougher later in the semester, the long wait for a swim lane or treadmill at night, and-a favorite among a significant majority-the lack of free or available parking around the CRC.

Zaheer Ahmed, a recent Electrical Engineering graduate and occasional frequenter of the CRC, cited the lack of easily available parking for campus commuters as a reason for why working out can become a bother.

"It's a big headache, trying to walk in the cold because I can't park there. Not having free parking for patrons makes it more difficult for students to come on cold days," Ahmed said.

Despite their professed problems, students generally believe that maintaining a healthy lifestyle by working out regularly solves more problems than it creates.

Fernie Goh, a Chemical Engineering graduate student, works out at the CRC regularly and has plenty to show for it. Goh believes the power of exercise extends beyond the obvious benefits of looking better and feeling more confident.

Working out on the treadmill and elliptical trainers at the CRC four or five times a week, Goh said that exercise is useful in that it offers her something to do besides studying and yet improves her academic performance.

"As an undergrad, I used to feel sleepy in class often. I'm trying to work out often to see if there's an improvement [in my attention in class]," Goh said.

Matt Rothenberg, a second-year Civil Engineering major, also believes that the positive benefits of working out regularly at the CRC outweigh the potential pitfalls that accompany regular exercise. Swimming with the club team three times a week, Rothenberg is almost dismissive about the injury risks associated with excessive physical exertion and agreed with Goh's comments.

"The average person doesn't need to be worried about excessive workout, but when someone does it in tandem with eating poorly and sleeping too little, that's when injuries happen," Rothenberg said.

Rothenerg echoed a common sentiment among students.

"The more you stop working out, the more stressful life becomes. There's always the chance to become injured, but I think people who work out regularly tend to do better [in classes and elsewhere]," he said.

"It's me time. It's when I blow off steam [from classes and work]," Naples said, describing the value of the time she spent at the CRC.