By Amanda Kennedy
Sports Editor
Schwartz Gym closed for student and faculty use on Nov. 23, just before the end of fall semester. The gym’s pool remained open until Dec. 4. A $7.4 million renovation of Schwartz Gym, hailed as the“Smart Women, Strong Women” initiative, is currently underway. Work officially began in early January. Director of Athletics and Physical Education Kathleen Tierney said renovations are going smoothly.
“There have been no setbacks so far,” she said. Tierney presented a vision of some of the many changes to be made, including more external windows, a new roof, and more space for physical education classes.
Department of Athletics Student SupervisorCelia Turner ’10 was enthusiastic about the gym renovations. “I’ve seen the plans,” she said, adding that the gym will have separate areas for yoga and other classes.
Meanwhile, faculty with offices in Schwartz Gym had to relocate elsewhere on campus. Tierney noted that Merion, West House and Rhoads currently provide temporary office space.
These offices were not the only part of the Athletic Department to relocate, however. The former dining hall in Rhoads was designated a temporary gym space for students.
Despite new restriction on space and equipment, forcing gym-goers to wait in line for treadmills, students are responding well to the transition. During a recent visit to the gym, the former dining hall was visibly packed with smart, strong women—lifting weights, pedaling stationary bikes and listening to iPods as they used the elliptical machines.
“The priority of use [of Rhoads Gym] is for students,” said Tierney, “though we’ve carved out a small amount of time for faculty.”
Furthermore, Athletic Department student employees experienced slight changes in their duties. Leigh Schaefer ’13 worked at Schwartz Gym only once last semester but still recognized the difference in expectations of the employees at each gym. “Now, we don’t have to do the teams’ laundry since there are no home games,” she said. “We focus more on the upkeep of the gym, [such as] wiping down mats, which we didn’t do before.”
Student athletes in particular have been affected by the “Smart Women, Strong Women” project. Deprived of Schwartz Gym for practices and home games, they have had to look elsewhere for athletic venues. The badminton team practices at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, for example, and the basketball team practices and hosts home games at Haverford’s gymnasium. The swim team practices bright and early at the Baldwin School pool.
In making these accommodations, “We are trying not to impact the scholar athletic experience,” Tierney said. “everyone chips in and compromises.”
Bryn Mawr’s physical education program has also had to make compromises and adjustments to its curriculum. No swim classes will be offered during the spring semester, but in response the physical education was heavier on swim classes in the fall, Tierney explained.
Additionally, classes such as Pilates, aerobics, and yoga will be spread throughout campus, hosted in the Pembroke and Denbigh dance studios and Cambrian Row. A new physical education class, the increasingly popular Zumba, will be offered this spring, taught by Janna Clare Weaver ’11.
However, according to Tierney, the lack of a spacious gym resulted in smaller class sizes, and popular classes such as Zumba filled quickly.
But never fear, Mawrtyrs: the renovated Schwartz Gym will allow the physical education program to “expand into more classes,” Tierney said.
Overall, she continued, “I really feel that we are accomplishing our athletic goals and recreational goals.”
Students looking for an alternative to the athletic atmosphere on campus can walk to Summit Sports Training Center in Villanova. Over winter break, all Bryn Mawr students received an e-mail with an offer to join Summit Sports Training Center at a reduced rate. Students would pay $70 per month, in addition to a $25 initiation fee, to become members.
Hired to further develop programs for adults and students, Summit Sports Membership Coordinator Barb Santilli noted the center’s specific attention to each person who comes in to work out. “Summit provides direct attention and support for every workout,” she said in an e-mail interview. “It is the specialized training approach applied by our trainers that compliments the use of this equipment and keeps members motivated.”
Santilli also explained that the initiation fee is implemented to “defer the costs of administrating a new membership.” Every member, not just students, must pay the initiation fee, she said.
As members, students work with Summit trainers and use the center’s array of fitness equipment. Santilli listed available machinery, including “[t]readmills, rowers, upright bikes, elliptical, a full line of Cybex equipment and a comprehensive line of free weights and machines,” she said. “[E]xercise balls, bosu balls, kettlebells, exercise bands, and core stability balls,” are also accessible for members to use, she said.
Students who become members also have the opportunity to participate in athletic training sessions, including Cardio Boxing Class on Wednesdays and weekly “Thursdays with Betsy” sessions, run by a trainer who provides “Boot Camp” workouts.
Santilli further explained that Fridays are full of sessions, including interval training routines led by a trainer, “impromptu ab sessions, flexibility sessions, and cardio interval sessions for anyone [who] is working out at the time,” she said.
Spring semester has just begun, and students may already have begun to feel the looming weight of classes, homework, essays, and even senior theses. Exercise can be an excellent release from the stress of college academia. Santilli said that the advantages of exercising extend beyond the physical rewards.
Students experience “improved concentration, memory, and self esteem, enhanced oxygen in the blood and thus the brain, leading to increased alertness and concentration, improved elimination of toxins, and increased sense of well-being through stimulations of endorphins.”
Whether students jog across campus, take to the treadmill in Rhoads as they await the grand unveiling of Schwartz Gym, or experience Boot Camp with Betsy at Summit Sports Training Center, they will nevertheless feel more energized this semester to tackle whatever tests or research papers comes their way.
By Amanda Kennedy
Sports Editor
Schwartz Gym closed for student and faculty use on Nov. 23, just before the end of fall semester. The gym’s pool remained open until Dec. 4. A $7.4 million renovation of Schwartz Gym, hailed as the“Smart Women, Strong Women” initiative, is currently underway. Work officially began in early January. Director of Athletics and Physical Education Kathleen Tierney said renovations are going smoothly.
“There have been no setbacks so far,” she said. Tierney presented a vision of some of the many changes to be made, including more external windows, a new roof, and more space for physical education classes.
Department of Athletics Student SupervisorCelia Turner ’10 was enthusiastic about the gym renovations. “I’ve seen the plans,” she said, adding that the gym will have separate areas for yoga and other classes.
Meanwhile, faculty with offices in Schwartz Gym had to relocate elsewhere on campus. Tierney noted that Merion, West House and Rhoads currently provide temporary office space.
These offices were not the only part of the Athletic Department to relocate, however. The former dining hall in Rhoads was designated a temporary gym space for students.
Despite new restriction on space and equipment, forcing gym-goers to wait in line for treadmills, students are responding well to the transition. During a recent visit to the gym, the former dining hall was visibly packed with smart, strong women—lifting weights, pedaling stationary bikes and listening to iPods as they used the elliptical machines.
“The priority of use [of Rhoads Gym] is for students,” said Tierney, “though we’ve carved out a small amount of time for faculty.”
Furthermore, Athletic Department student employees experienced slight changes in their duties. Leigh Schaefer ’13 worked at Schwartz Gym only once last semester but still recognized the difference in expectations of the employees at each gym. “Now, we don’t have to do the teams’ laundry since there are no home games,” she said. “We focus more on the upkeep of the gym, [such as] wiping down mats, which we didn’t do before.”
Student athletes in particular have been affected by the “Smart Women, Strong Women” project. Deprived of Schwartz Gym for practices and home games, they have had to look elsewhere for athletic venues. The badminton team practices at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, for example, and the basketball team practices and hosts home games at Haverford’s gymnasium. The swim team practices bright and early at the Baldwin School pool.
In making these accommodations, “We are trying not to impact the scholar athletic experience,” Tierney said. “everyone chips in and compromises.”
Bryn Mawr’s physical education program has also had to make compromises and adjustments to its curriculum. No swim classes will be offered during the spring semester, but in response the physical education was heavier on swim classes in the fall, Tierney explained.
Additionally, classes such as Pilates, aerobics, and yoga will be spread throughout campus, hosted in the Pembroke and Denbigh dance studios and Cambrian Row. A new physical education class, the increasingly popular Zumba, will be offered this spring, taught by Janna Clare Weaver ’11.
However, according to Tierney, the lack of a spacious gym resulted in smaller class sizes, and popular classes such as Zumba filled quickly.
But never fear, Mawrtyrs: the renovated Schwartz Gym will allow the physical education program to “expand into more classes,” Tierney said.
Overall, she continued, “I really feel that we are accomplishing our athletic goals and recreational goals.”
Students looking for an alternative to the athletic atmosphere on campus can walk to Summit Sports Training Center in Villanova. Over winter break, all Bryn Mawr students received an e-mail with an offer to join Summit Sports Training Center at a reduced rate. Students would pay $70 per month, in addition to a $25 initiation fee, to become members.
Hired to further develop programs for adults and students, Summit Sports Membership Coordinator Barb Santilli noted the center’s specific attention to each person who comes in to work out. “Summit provides direct attention and support for every workout,” she said in an e-mail interview. “It is the specialized training approach applied by our trainers that compliments the use of this equipment and keeps members motivated.”
Santilli also explained that the initiation fee is implemented to “defer the costs of administrating a new membership.” Every member, not just students, must pay the initiation fee, she said.
As members, students work with Summit trainers and use the center’s array of fitness equipment. Santilli listed available machinery, including “[t]readmills, rowers, upright bikes, elliptical, a full line of Cybex equipment and a comprehensive line of free weights and machines,” she said. “[E]xercise balls, bosu balls, kettlebells, exercise bands, and core stability balls,” are also accessible for members to use, she said.
Students who become members also have the opportunity to participate in athletic training sessions, including Cardio Boxing Class on Wednesdays and weekly “Thursdays with Betsy” sessions, run by a trainer who provides “Boot Camp” workouts.
Santilli further explained that Fridays are full of sessions, including interval training routines led by a trainer, “impromptu ab sessions, flexibility sessions, and cardio interval sessions for anyone [who] is working out at the time,” she said.
Spring semester has just begun, and students may already have begun to feel the looming weight of classes, homework, essays, and even senior theses. Exercise can be an excellent release from the stress of college academia. Santilli said that the advantages of exercising extend beyond the physical rewards.
Students experience “improved concentration, memory, and self esteem, enhanced oxygen in the blood and thus the brain, leading to increased alertness and concentration, improved elimination of toxins, and increased sense of well-being through stimulations of endorphins.”
Whether students jog across campus, take to the treadmill in Rhoads as they await the grand unveiling of Schwartz Gym, or experience Boot Camp with Betsy at Summit Sports Training Center, they will nevertheless feel more energized this semester to tackle whatever tests or research papers comes their way.
This article is © 2008 The Bi-College News. The material on this page is free for personal or educational use, but may not be reproduced, reprinted, republished, redistributed, or otherwise transmitted to a third party without the express written permission of The Bi-College News, 370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041.
Editor's note: Articles that appear in the Last Word section are works of satire.
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- Applebee Field’s Namesake a Pioneer for Women
- BMC Student Doubles as Yoga Instructor
- Pumpage at Bryn Mawr
- Tierney Named Next BMC AD
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- BMC AD Search Heats Up
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