Fitness classes in Howard Hall filled beyond capacity
(Tori Pinto | The Beacon)
By Sarah Hansell, Staff Writer -- hansell14@up.edu
Some Howard Hall fitness classes are often so crowded that instructors are forced to send students into the hall to work out.
"For the majority of the time I have to send at least one group out in the hallway," kickboxing instructor and senior Erica Jornlin said. "I don't like to have upwards of 15 girls in the room at a time. It's a safety issue having that many girls in the room."
The Aerobics Room, which is the room in Howard Hall used for zumba, kickboxing, spin, cardio party and total body workout fitness classes, is 30-by-40-foot room that 25 to 30 students have to fit into for an hour-long fitness class at times.
"It's hard because you're literally shoulder to shoulder with the girls next to you," Jornlin said of the zumba classes, which she has attended.
Growing popularity of the classes is one of the causes of the overcrowding.
"Our instructors are doing a really good job," Director of Recreational Services Brian Dezzani said. "They're making it fun, that's why it's so popular."
Some fitness classes, such as zumba, are more crowded than in the past, according to zumba instructor and junior K.C. Gosline.
"I think this semester has definitely been worse, especially in my fitness class," Gosline said.
The equipment stored and used in the room, such as the kickboxing bags, weights, fitness balls and spin bikes, makes the space even more crowded.
"Even if that stuff was moved, the room is still way too small," Gosline said.
It can be difficult for students to get a good workout when the room is overcrowded.
"Sometimes it's a little difficult with the dance moves and stuff, but usually we make it work," junior Katy Danforth said of the zumba class.
According to Dezzani, Recreational Services has already added more zumba classes to the schedule to accommodate more students, yet they are still overcrowded.
"My guess is some class times are more popular than others," Dezzani said.
One option is to move the classes that do not require equipment up to the gym, and some fitness instructors have already requested to use the gym for their fitness class.
"It would be the perfect area for me to teach my class in," Gosline said. "Apparently the guys get upset if they cannot play basketball during open gym. We've tried multiple times to get that space but they are not having it."
However, the gym is often already in use during the prime times for fitness classes.
"It's just finding a time where the gym's not already in use and students could actually come," Dezzani added.
If class sizes become too large, one solution would be offering the classes on a first-come, first-serve basis, and only allowing a certain number of people into the classes, according to Dezzani.
"What I've been doing, I've been cutting my class off at 30," Gosline said. "Really that's the only solution I can think of to do."
This is a problem for students who show up too late to make it into the class.
"If you get turned away it's really upsetting," junior Kacia Hicks, who attends zumba and kickboxing, said.
However, fitness instructors would rather not have to limit the number of participants allowed into their classes.
"I hate turning people away, so for the most part I just try to make it work," Jornlin said.
However, fitness instructors do not want to discourage students from attending classes.
"I love having more students in my classes because the more students I have, the more energy there is," Gosline said. "But when I have so many people it's hard to get a good workout."
Students of the classes stress that the overcrowding and the possibility of being turned away is worth it.
"Just because it's crowded I don't think people should be deterred from going," Hicks said.
The bottom line is the size of the room, which is difficult to fix with the current recreational building. According to Dezzani, the new facility planned by the RISE campaign will have two to three new rooms that would be used for fitness classes, which would probably be larger than the Aerobics Room in Howard Hall. However, there is currently no accurate estimation for the building's completion, Dezzani says.
"We need a new rec center is the problem," Dezzani said. "We need a room than can hold more than 23 people at a time moving around."
