Isabella Abbott | Features Editor
Whether it’s running or lifting, Duquesne students can get a lift from the Power Center and recreation services toward their new year resolutions.
With four floors filled with equipment, dozens of classes and 100 hours of availability a week, the center has something for everyone.
Dan McCarthy, Director of Recreation Services, said, “there’s a lot of opportunities out there for our students to do anything they want to.
According to Duquesne’s recreation services website, the facility’s second floor consists of more than 65 cardio machines, the third floor includes a multipurpose court, the 3M floor has an indoor track and the fourth floor contains a plate-loaded studio.
Other amenities include free weights, a racquetball court, a spin studio, a HIIT zone and locker rooms.
Assistant Director for Recreation Services Amber Lasure said many students don’t realize how big the center is.
“When people come in here for the first time, they don’t realize we have more than one floor,” Lasure said. “We also have all sorts of spaces that aren’t necessarily workout rooms, but students are welcome to use whatever space is available in the facility.”
To help with resolution goals, the Power Center offers 65 fitness classes per week throughout the day, from 6:45 a.m. to about 9 p.m. Lasure hopes that with these class times, students can find a way to fit them into their busy schedules.
Classes range from yoga to kickboxing to ballet and lifting. Lasure also said students don’t have to be on time for class. She’d rather see them come in for half the time than not at all.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the most popular resolutions yearly include eating healthier, being more active and managing finances better. But the website also states that people are most likely to give up resolutions by Jan. 19.
Similar observations have been made at the Power Center, Lasure said, where students attend the gym more frequently in January but trickle out in February.
Lasure said as students settle into their new classes and the start of the semester, Power Center attendance decreases. But during syllabus week, the gym sees an influx of students as they may have more free time or are headed to the gym for their resolutions.
Lasure said their peak hours are between four and seven at night for those starting out in the gym this year who want to feel less overwhelmed, or “are trying to avoid the crowds.”
“There’s a small rush in the morning, but it’s pretty quiet all the way until about noon, and then it’s pretty quiet again until about 3 o’clock when we are in our highest capacity,” she said.
Although gyms can feel intimidating, especially during the new year when everyone has their own goals, Lasure said that most people working out are focused on their own workouts, not on the people around them.
However, if students don’t want to attend the gym at all or want a different way to stay active in the new year, they can join intramural or club sports.
Intramurals Coordinator Mike Cecil said about 400 students are interested in intramurals each semester. Students can sign up for traditional indoor and outdoor club sports using the school’s facilities, or travel off campus to participate in Duquesne’s club sports like tennis and disc golf.
Other club sports include baseball, swimming and wrestling.
And with a club sport for everyone, there’s a lower-stress sporting opportunity for everyone looking to get involved outside the official teams of Duquesne Athletics.
Joy Chen, the president of club volleyball said it’s a lot easier to maintain a goal when it’s something you actually enjoy, like sports.
“Oftentimes when you start a New Year’s resolution, it’s for aesthetic purposes like ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to get abs,’” Chen said.
“But usually for sports…it’s like tangible goals that you can see progress for. So it’s a really encouraging thing to have a goal that isn’t just about what you look like.”
In addition to having tangible goals, being a part of club sports allows students to expand their social circles, which can increase mental health and well-being.
“It gives you a lot of opportunities to not only meet people in your school but also people outside of your school at tournaments or meets, to widen your circle of people that you know,” Chen said.
Joining these club teams is also a way for students to still compete after high school.
“Club sports are a good way for students who never got the opportunity to do the sport that they love and have a passion for but in a much less stressful environment and kind of at their own pace,” said the president of club swimming, Jenna Knapik.
Each club team is always looking for new members.
“We take everybody, it doesn’t matter what their background with swimming is,” Knapik said. “Even if they just want to come and stay in shape and hang out with us, that’s great too.”