We Hopkins students are known traditionally for our brains, not our brawn. The University gains renown for its science, not its sports. It used to be that, here, only varsity athletes worked out. The rest of us made do toning mental muscle.
For years, the gloomy old 1930s Newton H. White Athletic Center, renovated in the 1960s, sufficed for the entire campus. People scuttled to and from the library, but avoided the gym like the plague. Non-varsity students who dared to venture in found dusty, airless rooms full of jocks pumping iron. Most fitness enthusiasts couldn't even recognize the dinosaur machines that lined the cinderblock cell rooms. Rumor had it that the two treadmills in the basement struggled to hit 5 m.p.h..
Then, after drooling for months over the new gym at Loyola College, Hopkins fitness buffs finally got their own workout mecca: The Ralph O'Conner Recreation Center opened Jan. 22, 2002 as a godsend to withering muscles all over campus.
Now, one and a half years later, the rec center draws people like a magnet, invigorating students with bright paint, big windows and the inspiration of other sweating bodies. Here, there are cardio machines, an indoor track and basketball courts that don't kick people off for varsity team practices. Students flock for physical activity and intramural sports.
Ready...
Whatever your fitness fancy, the rec center has 63,000 sq. feet of space for it. It boasts the Pepsi Fitness Center (the ensemble of a 3,000 sq. foot fitness room and a 2,500 sq. foot weight room), a hanging track, three basketball courts in the 18,000 sq. foot Robert Scott Gymnasium, three convertible racquetball/squash courts and a 30-foot student-run climbing wall.
There also are plenty of mats and open spaces for stretching and hard-core crunches, with water fountains nearby. If that doesn't get you in the mood to pump some iron, the vending machines downstairs provide ample fueling. Clean cubbies are conveniently placed in the fitness and weight rooms to stash your keys and t-shirts while you work out.
Upstairs, there are two fitness classrooms. Downstairs, you'll find the towel service and access to the pool and natatorium of the varsity athletic center.
Get set...
Needless to say, the University administration slightly underestimated turnout when they commissioned the $14 million rec center.
Hopkins affiliates at the E. Baltimore medical campus didn't want to miss out on the fab new Homewood facility, either. The rec center now admits any Hopkins undergrad, grad or med student, faculty, staff, alumni and spouses. Faculty, staff and non-Homewood students pay $90/year and alumni pay $240/year. Homewood students have free membership with tuition.
Put it all together and you'll find page-long wait lists at peak hours. The rec center now attracts about 1,300 people each day, according to Paul Jacobus, Assistant Director of Recreation for Facilities.
Go! (at the right time)
Despite its rush-hour traffic jams, the rec center is as much a social hub as it is a fitness hub. During the academic year, it's open weekdays 6 a.m.- midnight, Saturdays 9 a.m. -- 8 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. -- midnight. Bring your JCard to swipe for entry, or the no-nonsense security guards will turn you around and send you home, whether they know you or not.
In an attempt to manage the masses, the rec staff has a 20-minute limit on cardio machines when there's a wait list. They encourage patrons to exercise during the non-peak hours of 9-11:30 a.m. and 1:30 -- 4 p.m. Arrive after 5 p.m. on a weekday, and you may wait half an hour while an Einstein look-alike finishes his stroll on the treadmill. Unless you've got time to kill, you'd be wise to take their advice.
Keep going...
For those who need a roomful of people, a blasting stereo and a hard-ass instructor for encouragement, fitness classes are offered upstairs daily in the Bob & Anne Evans fitness classrooms. Buy a $40 semester fitness pass and you have unlimited access to as much yoga, kickboxing and step aerobics as you can stomach.
For those who need direct, one-on-one motivation, a great student team of personal trainers can tailor a workout just for you. A one-time, one and a half hour gym orientation and fitness program planning is $30 for students and $45 for Hopkins affiliates.
Regular personal training sessions run at $20/hour for students and $30/hour for faculty and staff. Visit the main rec center office to sign up.
More than just a gym
The rec center also brought the Homewood campus its first real multi-purpose area. Over the past year, the gym has transformed to host Blackalicious concerts, orientation events and gala dinners.
The majority of the daily staff is students. The rec center offers work study and non-work study jobs as personal trainers, fitness room monitors and doorway security.
Check out the rec center Web site, http://www.jhu.edu/recsport/, for more information on employment, fitness class schedules and rec center closings.
Whether you're facing the fabled "freshman 15," or returning to the stress of Hopkins for seconds, a little physical activity always does the body good. The rec center has brought a fitness renaissance to campus. It's amazing what a little bright paint, a couple mirrors and state-of-the-art equipment will do to boost the spirit, free the mind and jump-start your momentum.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The News-Letter.