Story by Zoebelle Bean, News Columnist
Located at the front of Aquinas College, the Sturrus Sports and Fitness Center is one of the more frequented destinations on campus. Sturrus has seen its fair share of competitions, exercises, and skirmishes with a growing population of athletes. After years of wear and tear, the weight room that overlooks Coach Bo Court in particular has seen the loss of much equipment from overuse.
To support maintenance for the weight room, Aquinas began a fundraising campaign at the beginning of the academic year to build a better one. This initiative would bring in new treadmills, olympic power racks, and a turf strip. It would also make a better use of the space by reconfiguring the way the room is set up. More details about the potential improvements can be found on the aqsaints.com website, in an article from August 21st titled “AQ Launches Fundraising for Fitness Campaign.”
Gradual improvements have already begun. Half of the old treadmills have been removed and new treadmills have taken their place.
Soph. Carson LePage says, “I just used one of the new treadmills today and I like them… I was able to move the speed up and down pretty easily with the handle in the front. Only problem personally is that I can’t have a place to steadily hold my phone while running.”
Most of the money came from the Coach Bo Athletic Hall of Fame, where the fundraiser was advertised to alumni and a raffle was held to collect funding.
Swiping into the weight room with an ID card gave the athletics department further incentive to fund the project. With every swipe access into the weight room, the athletics department saw how often students used it, and could accurately gauge the need behind a new weight room.
Many students will benefit from this improvement. Soph. Reign Lawson says, “Due to them not fixing the broken equipment previously, both of my ankles are now bruised. A bench also broke on a guy shoulder pressing and it fell flat. It could’ve seriously hurt him.”
Lawson also expressed that, “I used to work last year until 11pm… now they’re cutting hours throughout the week to save money… it’s hard because most people enjoy lifting late at night to avoid teams and a crowded gym… and the money is going elsewhere, turning students away from living healthier lifestyles.”
With a new gym, hours could potentially open up and student workers are hopeful for more hours. New equipment will also mean a safer, friendlier gym environment.
The Saint 