Students give SRC a workout

By Bill Greenwood


Junior A.J. Focht is enjoying the fruits of Rider’s labor. Fresh off an intense game of “Pig” on one of the three basketball courts contained within the new Student Recreation Center (SRC), he reminisces about the first time he set foot in the long-anticipated building. Sadly, this inaugural trip proved to be an ill-fated one.

“The first time I saw [the SRC] I got kicked out because I was here a day early,” Focht said. “I was looking around like, ‘This is nice’ and one of the ladies was like, ‘We’re not open until tomorrow.’”

The community seems to share Focht’s enthusiasm. Despite the currently limited hours — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — many have found time to try out the SRC’s various features. So far, the response has been mostly positive, though work is still very much in progress, according to Michael Reca, assistant vice president of Planning and Auxiliary Services.

“We’re ramping up,” he said. “You’re going to see new stuff every day. As it comes in, we’re putting it in.”

The SRC’s main lobby is a vast area lit by the windows that line the walls. Couches, tables and chairs of various styles are scattered throughout the floor — many of which were installed as recently as yesterday, Oct. 27 — and a large, flat, widescreen TV hangs on the far wall. According to sophomore Christina Woolston, this area has the potential to become a gathering place for students.

“I mean, if there’s a TV, chairs and food, why wouldn’t people hang out there?” she said.
The food and drink is provided by the Kaplan Express juice stand, which sits next to a huge glass wall that allows visitors to peer into the weight room. The stand offers everything from sports drinks to Cheez-Its.

“I just had my first drink from there, and it’s very good,” junior Bjorn Stowers, who works in the SRC as a member of the fitness-room staff, said. “All the stuff here has lots of vitamins and lots of things to keep you hydrated.”

Beyond the lobby lies the real meat of the building: the weight room and basketball courts. According to Stowers, the new gym improves on the original one, located in the Maurer Gym, in various ways.

“There’s air conditioning in here, so we’re not burning up as we’re trying to work out,” he said. “I like the sound system. It can be controlled in every single room in the center.”

These are not the only features of the weight room, however. The first row of treadmills and elliptical machines, pressed against the glass wall that opens into the lobby, feature small television sets attached to each machine. For those further back from the wall, several widescreen TVs hang above the first row of machines.

“The TVs are very nice,” said Woolston. “They get your mind off of working out.”

As Reca said, the SRC is still a work in progress. Some equipment that should be available is missing, according to Focht.

“They don’t have clips or anything like that yet,” he said. “I think they’re still ordering some things. It’s not 100 percent, but, so far, it’s pretty nice.”

Behind the weight room lies the basketball area. Three courts are available that can be separated from the others by a large divider that lowers from the ceiling.

“[Using the SRC courts] is definitely better than playing outside,” Focht said. “[There’s] a lot more time to play and a lot more court too.”

The running track hangs over the courts, unused. Currently, it is not available to Rider students, along with the second floor, which will eventually feature meeting rooms, offices and a game room complete with ping-pong, billiards and air hockey tables. Reca said he hopes the equipment will be ready for student use by sometime next week.

“[It] just got here,” he said. “It’s very heavy, and it has to be assembled. I’m hoping that, next week, we can get that up and running.”

Despite the somewhat unfinished nature of the SRC, Focht is not worried about its overall quality. According to him, the building looks great and will only get better as time goes by.

“I guess it’s kind of like a new pair of shoes,” Focht said. “It looks nice, but it’s not quite comfortable yet.”