My class finishes, and seconds later, Baby Keem’s “Cocoa” starts to play in my ears, and I begin sipping the pre-workout I have been saving throughout my class. The pre-gym walk from Buildings A to E is quick and easy. The simple, cloudy day is a blessing from the downpour of rain I’ve dealt with all weekend. The opening verse of “Cocoa” is barely finished before I have to pause my music to ask the employee behind the athletic building’s front desk how to get a RecPass.
Registering for a RecPass is easy and free for any UFV student, staff, faculty member, and alumnus. I simply fill in the blanks on a white piece of paper with my name, student number, phone number, and provide proof of vaccination, then sign an Assumption of Risk waiver. With the paperwork done, I am free to guzzle back the rest of my pre-workout, feeling the special tingle up my spine telling me that the beta-alanine and taurine in my pre-workout are coursing through my veins, and time my entrance so that “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar starts playing as soon as I walk through the doors into the gym.
I admit that as someone who finds the gym essential for my weekly routine and wellness, I am used to more commercial gyms such as Anytime and Snap Fitness. So, when walking in and finding out that the “Fitness Centre” is half of a gymnasium with blue tarps on the floors and bleachers to serve as replacements for cubbies to put my belongings, with the other half of the gym still being used for recreation, I was a little put off. I chose to trust the bleachers and started my routine.
My initial gripes went away as I got the feel for The Summit, and found it has enough weight lifting equipment to build and perform solid and basic gym routines. The dumbbells range from 10 pounds to 100, which is more than enough of a range to get a good free weight routine. The squat racks and Smith machine have enough plates that I didn’t have to wait and snag any unused plates for heavier sets, and I was able to have my post-workout cooldown on one of the multiple spin bikes. There were resistance bands and kettlebells that I did not need to use this gym day, but there was enough room to use them safely. Even with the majority of the men’s basketball team doing their weight training, I was easily able to manoeuvre around while keeping an eye on my bag throughout my lift and pump session.
Even with my initial disappointment in not having a proper gym facility, The Summit is well on the path to becoming one if it continues to grow. I only saw a few additions needed for the fitness centre to get into top shape. First, cubby holes are a must. Second, a multi-station with a weighted row and lat pulldown machines attached are needed. When I went in, there was only one of the latter, and one rowing machine for those who, like me, mistook one rower for the other. Having multiple will be great for when multiple gym-goers go in for “pull day,” as well as adding another option to do back rows that will not take up a squat rack, barbell, or extra bench. Finally, The Summit needs an eventual addition of a large wall mirror for all the post-session selfie progression pics and Instagram.
The Summit is a good start to a fitness centre with all the equipment needed to start one’s fitness journey. I can only hope that with enough use and traction within the community, it can hike the path until it reaches its peak for the campus and offers the students a fully decked out fitness centre.
Rating: 7/10.
Image: Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade
Teryn Midzain is an English Major with ambitious goals to write movies and a full-time nerd, whose personality and eccentrics run on high-octane like the cars he loves. More importantly, Teryn loves sports [Formula One], and doesn’t care who knows. When not creating and running deadly schemes in his D&D sessions, Teryn tries to reach the core of what makes the romantic and dramatic World of Sports, the characters and people that make the events so spectacular.