Moving back to college always serves as a source of anticipation for students, but this year at Connecticut College something else brought in a wave of excitement – the new fitness center at the athletic center.
The start of the renovation last spring created much hype among both students and administrators. As the large glass windows were placed and the outside of the fitness center was finished, students grew eager for the start of the 2009-2010 school year.
President Leo Higdon’s strong leadership and initiative pushed the project through to a speedy completion. Since his start at Connecticut College in 2006, Higdon’s pursuits have been driven by the goal of enhancing student experiences in the liberal arts.
Eighty percent of students report using the fitness center, a statistic that confirmed his decision to renovate the Athletic Center.
“My goal, in building a new fitness center, was to enhance the space available to students, faculty and staff to incorporate physical fitness, wellness and exercise into their lives. Athletics and physical fitness are important components of a liberal arts and sciences education, and a state-of-the-art facility that triples the amount of space available makes it possible for more people to enjoy the benefits of a good work-out,” said Higdon.
Fran Shields, the Athletic Director, also emphasized that the new fitness center will aid in the College’s mission to “educate the entire person” through liberal arts.
Shields reported that while his goals for athletics have not necessarily changed with the renovation, they have become more attainable than in past years.
With the new fitness center comes the hope of increased competitiveness of Camel teams in the NESCAC. While the Athletics Department continuously strives to motivate and improve the student athletes at Connecticut College, Shields believes that the increased space of the new fitness center will help development by allowing coaches to generate better training programs for their athletes.
Even though the school year has just begun, Shields said that he has already noticed changes in the motivation of student-athletes as a result of the new fitness center.
“This self-motivation and encouragement from coaches will translate to stronger, fitter athletes, which should lead to improved success in the NESCAC,” Shields said. “Improved success in NESCAC will bring more excitement to campus around athletic contests and it will lead to more quality prospects seriously considering Connecticut College as a top choice.”
While the fitness center certainly serves as a means of developing athletics, administrators also perceive that it will enhance the image of the College as a whole, which will in turn bring in better athletes.
The increased space of the fitness center is the key to its success thus far. However, there are more exciting things to come thanks to William Wuyke, the Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Over the past year, Wuyke has worked to both prepare the facility and develop programs that involve the entire College community.
The old Athletic Center was also renovated and now provides space for team stretching as well as exercise classes such as yoga and pilates. Wuyke also arranged spinning classes and an aerobics class with a Latin theme.
Even if you are not involved in the sports here at Conn, the Athletic Center provides opportunities for everyone. Higdon encourages all students to make use of the great new fitness center.
“It’s here, it’s open and there are people to help you get started on a fitness program.”
As an added bonus, the dreaded over-crowding during primetime hours has been diminished thanks to the expanded time that the AC is open. For the most motivated of students, the fitness center is now open at 6:30 AM, a time Fran Shields boasts that you can watch the sun rise over the beautiful Thames River.
