Students use West Center to stay in shape, keep healthy

By Kate Rishebarger

Special to the Johnsonian

Graduate student Meghan Donovan works out in the West Center. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.comStudents use the West Center to feel good about themselves and stay healthy. 

Exercise is proven to release endorphins — chemicals that trigger a positive feeling in the body and give the body an energy boost, according to a page on the PBS website about ways you can make yourself happy.

Freshman theatre performance major JT Rider uses the free weights and cardio machines for his workouts. 

“I use the gym because, as an actor, it’s part of my job to look my best,” he said. “Working out definitely boosts my self esteem. Afterwards, I always feel like I look good.”

Students mostly use the weight room, but some faculty members come in the mornings before classes start, said senior athletic training major Mike Rice. Rice works at the desk in the weight room. Rice said beginner weight lifters use the weight machines, while more advanced students use the free weights.

“It’s easier for beginners to use the machines,” Rice said. “The machine keeps the weights on a track so they’re always in the same place, and the machine always returns the weights to the same position. With free weights, you have to be able to control the movement of the weights.”

But the West Center offers more than just the weight room to help students stay fit. It’s the site of both “academic and wellness pursuits” and has a 25-yard pool, racquetball courts and a climbing wall, according to the Winthrop University website. 

Ropes course director, Geoff Morrow, teaches badminton, experiential education, outdoor education and rock climbing in the West Center. Morrow said the rock climbing class isn’t only for building muscles; it also forces his students to get out of their comfort zones. 

“Everybody learns different things, but all of the lessons are important,” he said.

One of Morrow’s students, junior commercial photography major Rebecca Ruddy, said she goes to the gym for rock climbing, running and fencing. 

“I took the rock climbing class to meet people outside of my department,” she said. 

Ruddy said she likes exercising because it gives her more energy during the day and helps her sleep at night.

But exercise can do more for you than just make you feel good. The PBS website also states that exercise “regulates stress hormones,” such as cortisol, to get rid of “negative emotions.”

Freshman biology major Deidre Comstock attends fencing classes at the gym twice a week for fun. 

“Fencing provides a fun workout that doesn’t seem like a workout,” she said. “It’s energetic and competitive.”

The activity also affects her body image. 

“Fencing helps me stay where I want to be with my body,” Comstock said. “I can fit into my favorite jeans, and that’s good enough for me.”

Some students don’t just go to the gym for a workout, though. Freshman theatre education major Abby Olson said she goes for physical therapy for her knee. 

“I feel like I’m doing something good for my body,” Olson said. “I don’t work out to look good; I work out to be healthy.”