The new fitness center is open, but is it worth it?
By Kate Delenick
Finally, the new Merritt Fitness Center is open. Come one, come all, put your best gym shorts on and head on over. However, I must warn you, be cautious.
Before you head over to the beautifully built new complex you might want to scroll down your AIM Buddy List, checking to see how many of your McDaniel Friends have away messages up leading one to believe they are currently at the gym. I say this for the simple fact that although this modern fitness center has double the cardio equipment and countless new weight machines, it’s still not enough for the amount of students currently attending Mc-Daniel.
Sophomore Saralyn Silbert remembered, “One day at the gym I was standing around waiting for a bike for at least a solid 15 minutes. It was really irritating.”
Should we really have to sit around and wait a stinking 15 minutes to ride a bike? Someone might as well take the bike that’s been outside of Blanche the past three weeks and ride it around the track a few times.
Another thing this innovative fitness center presented us with was TVs. Of course us older folk still remember that tiny TV in the little cave-like cardio area of the old fitness room, so one would think that we’d be happy with the new flat screens. Yes, one would think.
However, the placement of the TVs are so awkward that one whole row of cardio doesn’t even get to watch a single TV. Some machines get a slight view of the football field but the rest of us are stuck with the parking lot. Can’t we maybe add another one or two TVs to the other side to keep those treadmill lovers occupied for a few minutes during their workout?
Enough about needed improvements because props are due to the McDaniel staff who put this whole design together. And contrary to what you may now believe the gym IS appreciated.
Sports teams, as well as undergrads and graduate students here on the hill, are now coming by the masses to work out. Of course we can find some glitches, but the new fitness center is way beyond what we were previously used to at McDaniel College.
For many of the fitness savvy people here on campus the anticipation for the opening date last year was exciting and well worth it. The building itself is immaculate and shows a modern appeal to a campus that was established in 1867.