Workout destinations on campus
Warm, spring weather is here, and with it brings more outdoor activities and more students wanting to become physically fit. UCC has several fitness facilities available on campus to students looking to reach their fitness goals.
Athletic Director Cheryl Yoder knows the importance of keeping mind and body healthy. "It's easy to neglect your body when you're concentrating on your mind, so you should schedule in exercise time just like you do a normal class and try and get out and do some movement," Yoder said.
One way UCC helps students get that movement is with the track above the Foundation office, accessible by a paved road, and available for everyone to use. Each lap is a quarter mile.
"We use the track for our wellness classes and a lot of our fitness classes for testing and also just exercise. We rent the field inside the track to soccer and lacrosse teams, so that's been another function that we use," Yoder said. The Special Olympics also rents the track to practice for their regional meets.
For students looking to have a more scenic exercise, a three mile nature trail loops around the campus, travelling along the river all the way to the top of campus behind the track.
"Our campus is a great, beautiful campus to even just walk around," Yoder said.
There are other walking or jogging distances within a close proximity to UCC. "Thirteen laps around the pool is a mile, and walking or jogging from the flagpole out to Highway 99 and back is a two mile loop," instructor Scott Leonard said.
There are two tennis court locations on campus, next to the gymnasium and by the Foundation and Technology Center on the hill. They are used for classes taught on campus but are also open for anyone to use.
Being a student, it's easy to become sedentary. "You don't have a lot of time to get up and move, so taking a PE class or a Health and Wellness class is a good way to get yourself motivated to exercise," Yoder said.
Classes like Yoga and Zumba, as well as sport classes like Martial Arts meet in the gymnasium. Since it is occupied most of the day with classes, the gym is usually not open to students.
For students looking for a gym-like environment without the gym cost, the Fitness Center on campus is an alternative.
The Fitness Center is open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, including summer term. It is available to students who are enrolled in a class also titled "Fitness Center." The class is $25 for two and a half months and includes an introduction to the equipment available at the beginning of the term. If students decide they want to exercise on their own, they can.
There are three sections of the class available in an effort to cater to the different focuses and abilities of students.
The first section, Basic, is geared toward beginners. Students are shown how to use all of the equipment in the Fitness Center in this section. The aerobic section focuses more on cardio, using equipment like the elliptical and treadmills. The strength section demonstrates how to use the free weights for students wanting to place an emphasis on strength training and muscle building.
For more information on the fitness facilities on campus, students can contact Cheryl Yoder by calling 541-440-4600 ext. 7729.