Jan 31, 2011 - A father of five, Aurelius Henderson is used to running around. .... Pictured above (L to R): Chris Dell'
Faces of
Fitness BY ALETA MAYNE
Building more than muscle at the new Trudy Fitness Center There’s no other spot on campus where, on a given day, you’ll find an alumnus from the Class of ’41, the president of the rugby club, a staff member from the accounting department, and a geography professor. Not only can they be found in the same building, but they’re also all sweating it out in tandem. The campus’s focus on fitness has no boundaries, and since the opening of the new Trudy Fitness Center in January, Colgate’s collective physique has been pumped up even more.
These vignettes — featuring some of Trudy’s newbies,
regulars, and lifelong exercise devotees — depict the newest driving force behind Colgate’s reputation as one of the fittest college campuses in America.
The wellness champion As co-chair of the university’s Wellness Initiative, Mark Thompson — who is also director of counseling and psychological services — knows the strong correlation between physical and emotional health. He notes that the popularity of the Trudy Fitness Center has already begun to benefit the Wellness Initiative, which encourages balanced lifestyles within the Colgate community. Physical fitness is just one spoke in the wellness wheel, but Thompson hopes that the new fitness center will serve as an entryway into a comprehensively healthy lifestyle for campus and community members. Thompson doesn’t just preach the power of physical health — at least four days a week, he can be found on an elliptical machine or doing calisthenics, either at 6:30 a.m. or at the noontime hour reserved for faculty and staff. “When I work out, I feel more mentally focused because I’ve had the chance to discharge stress,” he said. “We know from research that when people are exercising regularly, that has a positive effect on stress, anxiety, and mood.”
The coach With space-age–looking machines and a regular crowd of musclemen deadlifting hundreds of pounds, it’s easy to understand why there can be an intimidation factor on Trudy’s firstfloor weight room. But Ryan Baker, head volleyball coach, is helping people shed that notion. Baker is one of two varsity coaches who have been leading orientation classes to get people accustomed to using the new machines. The sessions have been so well received that many more had to be scheduled, and Baker has seen a boost in attendance and selfassurance in those whom he’s instructed. “It was really great to see their confidence go up — especially females, who often shy away from the weights,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of pleasure out of watching their facial expressions change because they could do it.” It’s also been gratifying to see those who participated in his orientation sessions working out on the weight floor on their own afterward, Baker said. All photography by Andrew Daddio
A strong proponent of pumping iron, Baker said the new Hoist machines are designed to glide with the body’s natural movements. “They take a lot of pressure off your back because your feet move with you; biomechanically, it’s much better for you,” he explained. “Strength is important, especially as you get older and need to maintain your bone density.” His efforts and the orientation sessions have clearly paid off: now, there are days when more women can be seen weightlifting at Trudy than men.
The motivator
Suzie Meres can attest to the empowerment of knowledge when it comes to getting familiar with the fitness center. Meres is business manager for Greek Letter Operations in the accounting office. “As soon as I walked in, I felt overwhelmed,” she said of her first time visiting the new facility. “There were a lot of monster machines, and I thought, ‘Ugh, this isn’t for me.’” But, she signed up for an orientation session with Baker, and she encouraged her co-workers to do the same. With Baker’s guidance, Meres learned how to use the machines and realized that they were something she could incorporate into her exercise regimen. “It was like a whole new thing,” she said. “I felt like I was “I used to hate working out,” said Rui Nakata ’14. Having been to in a playground.” Now, the former fitness center only once, Nakata begrudgingly went to Meres and a few of the the new facility on the second day of its opening — she and her women with whom she friends wanted to get in shape for their spring break trip to Miami. took the orientation Once Nakata saw the open space, with its shiny floors and class go through the state-of-the-art equipment, her appetite for athleticism went entire row of machines beyond getting bikini-ready. And, although spring break is together twice a week as long over, fitness is still part of her lifestyle. “My friends and I part of their workout. motivated each other to go for a week, and then it just became a A deep-water fitness routine,” she said. “Now I’m more comfortable going alone, so I instructor for faculty and go whenever I feel like it.” staff for 15 years, Meres Nakata admitted that this lifestyle change has even given has always been one to her studies a boost. “It helps me get my homework done faster foster physical activity — I plan out my days better now instead of wasting my time on in others. “I really enjoy inspiring people and motivating them to make themselves feel Facebook.” She added, “It makes me feel more accomplished better,” she said. “If someone’s feeling down, I’ll say, ‘Let’s go to the fitness center and work because I’m more productive.” out. I’ll show you how to use the weights now that I know how.’”
The spring breaker– turned-perennial
A fit footprint
The new Trudy Fitness Center is the most energy- and resource-efficient building on campus. The project managers and architects are striving to get the building LEED certified (an internationally recognized green building designation). To earn that certification, the building must earn points in five categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Here are some areas where Trudy is racking up points:
- 2 0 percent greater energy efficiency than a typical building of its size
- T he reflective white roof reduces the “heat island” effect (the rise in a setting’s temperature when dark surfaces absorb the sun’s heat)
- A ir handling system (HVAC) constantly recycles fresh air
ESS CENTER T R U DY F I T N
- A t least 25 percent of the building’s footprint is tree/ shrub plantings to minimize ecological impact
- 3 1,595 plastic water bottles saved from 2 water fountains as of press time
- 3 0 percent greater water efficiency than a typical building of its size - N ew bike racks and preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles
The professor With this year’s seemingly endless winter, Peter Klepeis ’94 was grateful for the Trudy Fitness Center. During the academic year, the geography professor and his wife had a routine of dropping their kids off at Hamilton Central School and then going to the gym to work out together. “It helps to have a partner in crime,” he said. Klepeis particularly enjoys the new facility because it allows users to control their own experience, with individual TVs and iPod docks on the cardio machines. The allocated mat space on both floors for stretching out and doing calisthenics is another advantage, Klepeis said. On the weekends, his family also participates in Colgate’s fitness offerings (family members and local residents can join for a fee); his three children swim in the pool, or Klepeis plays racquetball with his 7-year-old son. “Having access to this is a big perk from a faculty point of view,” he explained. “It’s a top-notch facility … big, high ceilings, natural light, wood beams, and a diverse mix of machines.”
- 114 windows that assist daylight harvesting (light sensors in the building read the outdoor conditions, and the fluorescent lights adjust accordingly)
- Low–VOC paints
- X eriscaping: use of native vegetation that does not need watering
- 4 32 tons, or 89%, of the construction debris was diverted from a landfill
Illustration by Katherine Mutz
- Retention pond that can store and treat storm water runoff at rates of up to 800 gallons per minute
The circuit trainer A father of five, Aurelius Henderson is used to running around. So, the assistant dean and adviser to the opportunity programs isn’t daunted by the stairs separating the weight room from the cardio floor. He’ll warm up on the elliptical machine for five minutes, run downstairs to lift, go back upstairs to bike, hit the weights again, and then finish his workout on a third cardio machine. “I come up with this crazy stuff,” said Henderson, who, three times a week, also organizes a group workout in Huntington Gym to the Insanity workout DVDs, a high-intensity conditioning program. Henderson is a fan of the new facility because it has helped him be able to do what he really loves: shoot hoops. His doctor told him that basketball could aggravate his old injuries, but that if Henderson strengthened his knees, he could play. “With the old machines, I couldn’t strengthen my legs the way I wanted to because of the swelling in my knees,” he explained. “But now there are the machines that move with your body, and you get strength without straining and pulling,” he added, citing the merits of the squat machine especially. Henderson’s other favorite part of the new fitness center is unexpected, but something that many report: the social scene (another dimension of the campus Wellness Initiative). He’s part of a group of people who arrive many mornings before the doors open at 6 a.m., waiting to get a jump start. “People from all areas of the community come — including teachers from Sherburne and Hamilton — so it’s a whole mixture, and we have wonderful conversations,” Henderson said.
The career exerciser Varsity basketball player Evan Librizzi ’11 is another Colgater who prefers to get to the fitness center first thing in the morning to beat the crowds — although waiting in line for a machine is no longer an issue with all the new equipment. But, morning workouts have become part of her routine and are how Librizzi likes to start her day. In fact, fitness is such an integral part of the senior’s life that she plans to attend graduate school for exercise science. “From a young age, my parents instilled in me the importance of exercise for a healthier life, both mentally and physically,” she said. “I would love to one day coach and train all types of athletes from a strength and conditioning standpoint.”
The iron girl It was the university’s fitness opportunities that first attracted Vicky Stone to start working at Colgate 18 years ago. Stone is senior administrative assistant for alumni affairs. Her friend, Grace Huff (another longtime employee, who today is associate director of planned giving), had been telling Stone about taking aerobics classes during her lunch break. “She made it sound so nice,” Stone recalled. “So, my first day here, I went to aerobics and just got right into it.” She even ended up teaching the class to faculty and staff members for a number of years. Now, Stone uses the fitness center as part of her robust workout — which, in a typical week, includes power yoga at home or spinning class in Huntington Gym in the mornings, running on the treadmill or swimming laps at the noontime faculty and staff hour, and later joining the evening Insanity group. Stone has always been fit, but this year, she has kicked it up a level because she’s been preparing for Syracuse’s Iron Girl triathlon in August. The new Precor treadmills have helped Stone train for the footrace portion. “You can do so many programs, and they’re very customizable,” she explained of the options that offer changing inclines and varying speeds throughout the workout. “You can even go downhill!” Colgate people have helped her prepare, too. Bob Benson, the former swim coach (who is also Stone’s neighbor), and the current assistant diving coach, Shannon Cutting (who also leads orientation sessions at Trudy), have both offered Stone tips. “There are some great people who reach out and help you, if you just tell them what you want to do,” Stone said. “It’s nice that you can meet like-minded people with the same values, and you can strengthen friendships.”
The rugger Julian Michaels ’11 had to take a couple of weeks off from lifting weights when his hand got stomped on by a cleat during the spring rugby game between alumni and students. Having just finished the season, the Rugby Club president shifted his focus from energizing his teammates to helping his girlfriend, Jackie Wakeen ’11, and classmate Maddi Love ’11, get conditioned for their summer bike trip down the Pacific Coast from Canada to Mexico. “I push them to go harder and faster,” explained Michaels, who got into the gym culture through working as a front desk monitor for two years. Michaels won’t be going on the bike trip because he’s conducting geology research with Professor Bruce Selleck on campus this summer. But, he has planned a long-term fitness adventure for himself: seeing the highest peaks in all 50 states. Saying he’s a firm believer in the power of physical strength and wellness, Michaels hopes this bucket list will be a way to keep him fit for life. Because of the costliness of traveling to the more distant states, Michaels said, there are some peaks, like Alaska’s Mt. McKinley, that he probably won’t ascend while he’s young. “I might not see that 50th peak until I’m 70, so I’ve got to keep working out.”
The young at heart When John LeFevre ’41 feels the impulse to miss his workout, he thinks about a quote he read: “Once you skip a day of exercise, it’s the same as telling your body that it’s OK to rot.” At 92 years young, the alumnus and Hamilton resident can be seen working out at the Trudy Fitness Center three to five days a week. On his way from the stationary bike — where he usually begins his workout — to the weight room, LeFevre says hello or stops to chat with the many people he knows. The IBM retiree worked in the Office of Admission for 13 years, but he’s gotten to know even more Colgate folks from going to the fitness center. “I have a good time when I go there, and I feel very much at home,” he said. The former hockey player recalled the evolution of fitness in his time at Colgate, starting with team dry-land practices using tennis balls on the third floor of Huntington Gym. After a hiatus from Hamilton, when LeFevre returned in the 1980s and began working for admission, student Sue Dolly Lathrop ’88 (today a senior associate dean for admission) introduced him to the small gym that had been assembled on the third floor of Huntington. The next version of Colgate’s gym, the Wm. Brian Little Fitness Center, was built in 1994 on the first floor of Huntington, atop the old pool where LeFevre had passed his mandatory swimming test as a freshman. With the Trudy Fitness Center, Colgate’s workout space has come a long way since the days when the hockey team raced back and forth on Huntington’s third floor or the football team ran up the old ski hill to get in shape. “We have to be proud of this facility because it is a first-class show,” LeFevre said. “I’m always impressed that students are taking advantage of it. That’s today’s world, and it’s a great world.” See wellness champion Mark Thompson and others, including President Jeffrey Herbst (pictured right) and the Colgate Thirteen, in the mockumentary “At the Trudy Fitness Center” at youtube.com/cuatchannel13.
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Bodybuilding Brothers:
At least four days a week, several members of Brothers — a multicultural student organization — work out together in the evenings to spot and encourage each other. They say they dig the new fitness digs for many reasons — including more space, added weightlifting options, and the new machines that are easier on the body. Pictured above (L to R): Chris Dell’Amore ’11, Javier Magana ’14, and Dave Fuentes ’11. Right: Medvis Jackson '11 spots Dell'Amore.
The figures supporting Colgate’s figure
1/31/11 opening day of the Trudy Fitness Center 153 people filed in at 6 a.m. when the
doors opened for the first time
50 Raider bobbleheads given to
those first in line opening morning
14,825 square feet 71 Precor cardio machines 183% increase in student attendance
at 6 a.m. on weekdays (comparing February 2011 to February 2010)
10 lbs this reporter lost while doing hands-on research for this article
20 orientation sessions offered to faculty and staff
