More students using recreational facilities on campus

On a cold, snowy afternoon in Bloomington, the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building is still buzzing.\nThe cold weather is not enough to stop some IU students from getting in their daily workout in the HPER and Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center.\nIn fact, working out seems to be a growing trend for many people at IU. Participation rates at campus recreational facilities are up 4.1 percent from this time last year, said Kimberly Ruff, the director of marketing and sponsorship for the Division of Campus Recreational Sports.\nRuff said it is currently impossible to compare participation at the Student Recreational Sports Center with the participation at the HPER because, each year, one facility closes over winter break, drastically decreasing its participation numbers for the year.\nThis year, the HPER was closed over break, Ruff said. \nThe HPER building, located in the middle of campus, across from the Indiana Memorial Union, may not be the first place students look when they want to get in their workouts. However, the facility offers many of the same services as the SRSC, including an indoor track, basketball courts, treadmills, elliptical machines and strength-training equipment.\nChristine Geary, the director of programming and research for the Division of Recreational Sports, said the HPER is a shared facility between athletics and academics. The HPER has irregular hours due to academic instruction during the morning and early afternoon, meaning students cannot always workout at the building when it is most convenient.\n“People have to really think about it if they are going to use the HPER,” Geary said. “The building is more of a walk-to place during the day because it is right in the middle of campus.”\nHe said this is one of the main reasons why the HPER is the lesser used of the two athletic facilities on campus.\nDespite lacking some of the convenience of the SRSC, some students still prefer to visit the HPER to get their exercise.\nOne reason many students use the Wildermuth Center is they take the classes offered through the HPER school. Karina Garipova is one of those students.\nGaripova was at the Wildermuth Center on Thursday morning for her basketball class.\n“I have basketball class here today, but usually I work out at the SRSC,” said Garipova. She said she usually works out four to five times a week for enjoyment and because she likes to keep in shape.\nFreshman Mary Beth Kime works out at the HPER in the evenings because she said it is much less crowded than the SRSC.\n“It’s crowded between the hours of 4 to 6 p.m. right before dinner,” said freshman Mary Beth Kime. “But after about 7 o’clock it’s great.” \nKime, a resident of Collins Living-Learning Center, also finds the HPER a great place to workout because it is a convenient distance from her residence hall.\nFor a complete listing of the HPER and SRSC facilities’ hours of operations, visit www.iurecsports.org/hours or call Recreational Sports at 855-7772.