 a one-stop shop within a small distance of cardio, strength and core equipment is becoming popular. Refreshingly, adaptive equipment planned within the mainstream layout is becoming more common. Inclusive marketing with models of all shapes and sizes is gaining more prevalence in order to promote wellness for all campus community members. Most importantly, health coaching and behavior-change programming is becoming a more structured offering. We are seeing kitchens with full-time nutritionists, financial wellness coaches on site, more and more crossover on campus with other departments. It is all very exciting.
Have you worked with any facilities in particular that you think are really forward-looking or innovative? What about those places stood out?
ML: We've worked with some college recreation departments that spread their messaging through marketing their offerings in facilities all over campus. Some rec centers are charging students for small group training each semester, but then refund the entire amount if the student doesn't miss any classes. We've seen campus rec using other campus events like freshman orientation to advertise the opportunities and benefits of using the rec facility. For example, some campuses have tremendous success when they use flashy handouts to entice students to revisit the rec center for a free T-shirt.
RP: Repurpose projects are always my favorite. Wofford took their old basketball arena and reworked it into an amazing center, converting the two mezzanines, lower courts, concessions into all things rec — strength, cardio, studios, classrooms, offices — awesome! Showy architectural facilities speak for themselves, but the introduction of graphics to any space can convey values, inject energy, establish mission, et cetera. I love the creativeness of college rec staff, finding unexpected small spaces for core, functional movement, fascia release — under stairways, along a hallway, in front of unused cubbies. Mississippi State is adding an entire cardio section overlooking the lake in the foyer. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga has plans to use a stairwell section leading to a back hallway for a new boxing studio with a retractable bag rail system.
What advice would you give college rec directors looking to make their facilities more attractive to the student population?
ML: Keep the fitness area clean, bright and welcoming. Use marketing tactics that encourage rec center use for quality of life, as opposed to weight loss goals, as this will prove more inviting to students curious about campus recreation.
RP: Research sustainable power sources. Implement a health coaching program for holistic offerings at your rec center. Seek Outdoor Rec for advice and strategize on coordinating mindfulness-specific offerings that can easily and dramatically market each to the other. Have vendors host a student training no less than annually to re-educate. Examine programming opportunities to enhance streamlining instruction. Consider creating Group X opportunities for faculty, staff and alumni. Install turf and keep it clear of all but a few accessories; turf is a student magnet. My top advice would be to be data-driven in decision-making. Use technology to gain information on swipes, consoles, popularity, equipment usage diagnostics, demographics, engagement and peak times.
For what one area of college rec do you see dramatic change on the horizon in the next five to 10 years?
ML: I see much more collaboration between recreation and health/wellness departments, and rec centers starting to bring them all under one roof. I also see health and wellness and PE classes becoming mandatory accredited courses for graduation, with curriculum geared toward educating students on the exercise and mental wellness correlation. I see more relaxation opportunities, including sleep pods, restorative yoga, quiet zones and meditation. Esports will have their own dedicated space and equipment. Strength training is rising in popularity for both men and women, creating an increase in demand for power racks.
RP: The one area I see dramatic change on the horizon is in the understanding of exercise as medicine and how that plays into mental health integration and initiatives.
This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Athletic Business with the title "AB's 2020: College recreation Survey." Athletic Business is a free magazine for professionals in the athletic, fitness and recreation industry. Click here to subscribe.I know many of you think the New York Mets have gone to the dogs...
(Wonder if David Wright minds that some pooch is wearing his jersey. And yes, I left a "tip.")
And I know that many of you fair-weather Mets fans wouldn't bother to go all the way to Citi Field to watch a.500 team who has little chance of making the playoffs this year.
But I am a Metsochist, and when someone offers me free tickets to see my beloved Mets play at Citi Field (YOU ROCK, MR. B! THANK YOU!!!), I am not about to say no. And boy am I glad I said "yes."
This afternoon Mets Pitcher Johan Santana was masterful, pitching a complete game against the Colorado Rockies -- even getting a key hit. And despite (or maybe because of) David Wright not being in the lineup (Mike Hessman played third base), the Mets went on to beat the Rockies 4-0 -- in barely 2.5 hours.
Ironically, today's game was a near duplicate of the last game the spouse and I attended at Citi Field, around this time last year, where Santana likewise pitched against the Colorado Rockies -- and likewise pitched the Mets to a shutout victory in just 2.5 hours. We even sat in the exact same section (Excelsior 330) on the third base line as last year (albeit four rows further back).
It was a GREAT day for both me and the spouse and the New York Mets (except for Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, who spent the day locked in a holding pen at Citi Field, awaiting arraignment for assaulting his fiancee's father).
And now we are seriously thinking of going back to Citi Field Saturday night to watch them play against the Philadelphia Phillies, while the kid spends the night at her grandmother's. (Though if Jerry Manual starts Oliver Perez Saturday, all bets are off.)
Here's hoping you had a great day! And remember, kids: Only four more weeks until football season officially begins!
4 comments:
A.500 team? Must be nice.
Why can't the Mets win every game? Uh, because they kind of suck, and their closer is in jail.
@Dave S.: Good point. (Apologies in advance to EMM too.)
@JWT: Hey, K-Rod didn't go to jail until this afternoon, and the Mets won anyway! (Probably just another grumpy Nationals fan. ;-P)While many consumers are starting to realize the importance of antivirus software, many are unaware of the significant differences in performance from one antivirus program to another.
Realizing that many consumers just go with whatever is pre-installed on their system when they get it or with whatever their ISP installs/recommends, it seemed important to question the rationale behind that.
Often, the security application that has been installed is chosen for one reason: money.
Understanding the relationship between the PC manufacturers and ISPs and the antivirus vendors is an easy one: the AV makers often pay to have their software installed (if not, they often let the manufacturers install it for free.) Huh?
The reason is, the A/V makers realize that many, if not most, consumers will renew their antivirus subscription when it expires, thus while they may have to "pay" for their antivirus software when they get their computer, they do buy the renewal subscription.
And, once they're in there, they have a revenue stream from you.
So, you're cruising around with your PC for a while--maybe even a year or more, when it just doesn't feel as fast as it once did.
All those files and pictures and videos you've created and viewed over the many moons you've had your computer are stored somewhere, often they live in your Temporary Internet Files directory.
Over time, as these files accumulate in the various places of your hard drive, your antivirus software has to work harder and harder to keep up.
What happens next is where it gets ugly.
You get fed up with it slowing things down and disable it, "just to get some stuff done."
The problem is the software stays off for a while--sometimes for a long while, maybe even forever.
Now that antivirus subscription you just renewed is totally, completely, utterly useless.
What this boils down to is that choosing your antivirus software, and not just taking the easy route, is critical.
This is part of the reason we rate VIPRE antivirus so highly: it's highly efficient and uses very few CPU, RAM, and system resources to keep your computer safe and virus-free.
We're not the only ones saying this, either. I just came across a VIPRE review from August 2008 on ZDNet's Hardware 2.0 blog by the much-respected Adrian Kingsley-Hughes.
"Security software can have a shocking effect on performance, and can take a new system and make it feel like one that’s a few years old.
I’m pleased to see that Sunbelt Software’s claim that VIPRE doesn’t hog system resources and doesn’t slow down a PC isn’t just marketing hyperbole but is actually true."
It's good to see we're not alone in leading antivirus review sites singing VIPRE's praises, they're well-deserved.In his own term, Barack Obama showed how an integral part of music can be the identity of the president. Biden also brought a diverse group of artists to his inauguration.
Music was in a big role when Barack Obama was elected in 2009 for