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FITNESS IN A.GGIEEAND
THE BATTALION
6
Thursday, January 22, 2004
M en with high levels of testos
terone pumping iron, strange
looking machines and too much
activity going on in one
room are just some of the
reasons women may
choose to exercise in a dif
ferent atmosphere.
Different work-out
facilities offer the same
equipment, but are tailor-
made to fit clientele. In
College Station, fitness
centers are ready to offer
as much as big-city centers
do for their clients.
Ashley Arnold, a sen
ior education major at
Texas A&M, prefers the Student
Recreational Center as a place to work
out because it hosts a program to teach
women how to properly use the weight
room.
“We are already charged a Rec Center
fee, so why not use it to your advan
tage?” Arnold said. “At first I hated
working out in the
weight room,
because all the
big, sweaty guys
look at you like
you don’t belong
there, and I had no
idea how to use
any of the
machines. Once I
tried the Rec’s
weight program
for women, I
learned how to use
all the machines in
the weight room, which allowed me to
feel more comfortable when I work out.”
Angela Anderson, marketing manager
of the Rec Center, said the Women on
Weights Program demonstrates to
women the proper form for certain
machines and introduces the weight
room’s personal training area. The pro
gram is free and runs in hour-long ses
sions Saturday mornings.
Women looking for a gym designed
particularly for them may want to try an
all-women facility. Curves For Women,
with locations in Bryan and College
Station, is a circuit-training facility
designed with women in mind. College
Station Curves owner Nerissa Besetsny
said if time is an issue. Curves tries to
make the most of it. At Curves, women
cycle through a 30-minute circuit train
ing program, which means every 30 sec
onds a woman alternates machines until
the 30 minutes are up. Besetsny recom
mends coming in three times a week to
see the best results.
Machines at Curves are designed to
hit all major muscle groups. There are no
weight stacks, because it is all hydraulic
resistance. Different diet plans are also
available for women who join, and
Curves weighs and measures monthly to
help people meet their goals.
Kathleen Blackwood, a senior finance
major, was a member of Gold’s Gym in
her hometown, and transferred her mem
bership over to the new College Station
facility. She prefers to work out in a sep
arate room set aside for women, but also
has access to other machines in the larg
er fitness area.
“Women typically have smaller fig
ures than men do, and Gold’s has
machines designed for this in a separate
room,” Blackwood said. “I like being
able to have the option to work out in an
all-women’s area if it gets too crowded
on the main floor. I first learned about the
different machines available to me and I
didn’t have to worry about looking stupid
See Women on page 8
I like being able to
have the option to work
out in an all-women's
area if it gets too crowd
ed on the main floor...
— Kathleen Blackwood
senior finance major
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1
Thursday, January 22, 2004
All I wanna do
is have some fun
Intramurals provides an active resource
for healthy living without going to the gym.
By Angelique
Montes
FITNESS IN AGGIELAND
S hiloh Venable, a
sophomore interdisci
plinary studies major,
loves playing intramurals
and says she would play
any sport offered. She
plays volleyball anywhere, any time.
She also plays basketball, indoor soc
cer and even football. If there is an
intramural game, one can be sure
Venable is there.
“You just have fun. You get to
meet people that you wouldn’t nor
mally have been in contact with,”
Venable said.
A&M student Adrienne Diaz, a
senior management major, finds
friends and fun in intramurals.
“My dorm had all kinds of teams
and I didn't know anyone else to play
with, so I headed out and haven’t
stopped since,” Diaz said.
Whatever the reason, many students
pack on some unwanted pounds during
their college years. Most want to shed
excess weight, but many are hesitant to
participate in a structured, regimented
workout routine. Some see a strict
workout plan as time-consuming, while
others just don’t like being in the gym.
There is, however, a simple and very
fun alternative to this dilemma: intramu
ral sports. Intramurals get students off
the couch and away from the televi
sion and are a huge stress relief,
Venable says.
“I’m not big into working out,” she
said.
For some students at A&M. exer
cise is more of a chore than time well-
spent. With the demands of school,
extra curricular activities, jobs and
relationships, students need a fun way
to stay physically and mentally
healthy.
“It (intramural participation) gives
me a break from the school thing and
enables me to get all my energy out,”
Diaz said.
Exercise is a great way to relieve
stress, health experts say. But how
much fun is it to sit in a weight room
For intromurols sched
ules, free agent details
and other information
about The Department
of Recreational Sports'
intramurals program,
check out:
recsports.tamu.edu
and w'atch everyone
admire themselves in the
mirror while not even lift
ing a third of what the guy
next to you can lift? For
students uncomfortable
with the beauty and poli
tics of the gym, there is an
alternative plan.
Intramurals hosted at
Texas A&M are only 15 minutes from
most students’ front doors. Student
groups can get together and register at
the Student Recreation Center’s mem
ber services desk, or individuals can
sign up as free agents that teams will
pick up to complete their roster. Entry
dates, spring sports available and fur
ther information is available online at
recsports.tamu.edu/intramurals.
“I love sports and I like (he oppor
tunity to be able to compete with
friends,” said Matt Kainer, an intramu
ral official and active player. “I contin
ue playing because I like the competi
tion. It gives me the opportunity to
play the sports I like on a somewhat
organized level.”
All this fun also has serious health
benefits.
“You don’t have to win, you just
have fun,” Venable said. “You get to
meet people that you wouldn’t normal
ly have been in contact with.”
Venable advises hopeful partici
pants to register early and ensure that a
group has enough people at each
game.
“I would advise people to at least
give it a try once,” Diaz said. “It does
n’t matter if you have never played a
sport before. If you even have the
slightest want to play, try and you
never know. You may enjoy yourself,
or even find a new' passion of your
own.”
Kainer, a senior civil engineering
major, said students involved in intra
mural sports must remember that the
goal is a fun. active game and not nec
essarily winning.
“Remember that the point is to have
fun. The only thing that’s on the line is
a T-shirt or a certificate” he said, “so
just have fun with your fellow
Aggies.” ■
FITNESS IN AGGIELAND
THE BATTALION
Pictured above:
Senior accounting
major Ryan Looney
plays volleyball at
the Student
Recreation Center
volleyball courts last
summer.
Pictured right:
Senior industrial
distribution major
Ann Stavinoha and
her intramural team
"The Stubbies"
cruise to victory in
their first intramural
sand volleyball
game last summer
at the Student
Recreation Center.