The Observer, February 3, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 15
North Residential Village weight room filled with heavy woes
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It's 10 p.m. – do you know where your cardio machine is?
If it's in the exercise room in The Village, you'd better be patient; the late evening hours are peak time for aerobic activity among Northside residents. While the weight machines usually have no wait, the treadmills and elliptical machines are invariably in use, leading many students to complain about the quantity and quality of exercise equipment available to the increased number of Northside residents.
The condition and quantity of the machines combine to amplify the issue. The room has three treadmills, one elliptical, and two step machines. Currently, neither of the steppers works. Such disrepair seems to be a common trend; the three girls using aerobic machines joked together about the nonfunctioning stairway to nowhere. "It just goes down," quipped one student.
As Lauren Juratovac, a first-year student at CIA, tried to adjust the speed on her treadmill, it stopped inexplicably, causing her to pound a few buttons until it restarted.
The weight machines are missing the small pins that enable them to be adjusted in five pound increments. Instead, a lifter must move up by stacks of fifteen pounds, a huge leap for certain machines.
Many students therefore prefer the Veale facilities, which are more consistent and diverse in their offerings. The weight room has extensive free weights, benches, and weight cages in addition to machines; the cardio room has more elliptical machines, more treadmills, more stationary bikes, and more rowing machines, not to mention a delightful view of either Horsburgh Gymnasium or Van Horn Field.
Senior Jon Lux extolled the virtues of Veale, calling the Village room "worthless." He prefers the simplicity of equipment in Veale: "Give me a set of free weights and a bench and I'll be happy." He regularly makes the trek to Veale despite living in Clarke Tower.
Junior Tom Boatwright does the same. Boatwright said "everyone tells me it's not worth my time. So I go to Veale instead," where he can utilize amenities like racquetball, resources unavailable to the CIA students.
Jaratovac has explored other options as well, such as running on the new track, but noted that it closes at dark and Cleveland's weather is not always conducive to outdoor activity. She has other interests, too: "I really want to go swimming."
However, CIA students are not permitted into the Veale Center (though CIM students are), so their exercise is relegated to the miniscule Village room. Two other CIA students, Brian Peterson and Diego Lorenzo, said they found the weight equipment adequate, apart from the unevenness of the pectoral machine, but were baffled at their exclusion from Veale.
"There are like five CIA students who work out," Lorenzo pleaded against the potential for overcrowding, as Jaratovac quipped, "And we're three of them." They even offered to paint murals on Veale's sparse walls in exchange for access.
Previously, they were able to gain admission by showing their CIA ID cards, but more rigorous inspection of late has thwarted them. And so they return to the cramped Village exercise facility.
Some students avoid the 10 p.m. rush hour, working out earlier to obtain the machine of their choice. However, this strategy may only extend the crowded period; a Monday visit at 8 p.m. found all treadmills occupied.
Some students suggested that adding more machines could alleviate the jam, but limited space restricts this option. According to junior Todd Jacobs, "It's f---ing small."
As it stands, the Village workout room remains a doubtful path to manly musculature or feminine flexibility due to its severe limitations, both spatial and functional. Better resolve to find a better gym, if you intend on remaining physically fit through the academic year.
