Since before COVID-19, University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Campus Recreation had been planning enhancements to its fitness areas at the Pat Leonard Student Recreation Center. Now, students and visitors are enjoying the result of countless hours of development.
The most significant of these recent changes occurred in the facility’s free weight space and in the Turf Bay, which was exclusively filled with cardio equipment. Now, the area is outfitted with a 48-foot-by-15-foot turf workout space which includes two sleds to push or pull. Rounding out the Turf Bay are Concept2 SkiErgs, an AssaultBike, Precor treadmills, lifting platforms, Olympic barbells, tires, plyometric boxes, a glute hamstring developer and more.
Previously, the greatest amount of space in the free weight area was occupied by single-use benches. Now, that zone makes more use of the rec center’s space with universal equipment.
Adrianna Del Amo, the assistant director of Fitness and Aquatics, said these enhancements began with a campus-wide survey to establish a baseline of what the campus community wanted/needed.
“Interestingly, the expressed interests in gym equipment we gathered from our campus community also aligned with some of the fitness trends as expressed by ACSM’s 2023 Fitness Trends,” said Del Amo. “The findings that emerged were more strength training opportunities, space and tools for functional training, and the creation of privatized spaces for those who want resistance training without being in a big, open fitness center.”
With this data, Del Amo then held several conversations with key stakeholders to include the Student Government Association and the Chancellor’s Student Panel. With their funding approval, UNCW Campus Recreation moved forward with reshaping the spaces.
Survey Details
Del Amo said the survey consisted of 20 qualitative and quantitative questions that asked users their perception of all the indoor areas within the fitness center. Participants were asked to rate their satisfaction from extremely satisfied to extremely dissatisfied with three choices inbetween. After each question, participants were asked about any additional changes they would like to see in the sectorized area or with equipment.
“We administered the survey by making it available throughout the recreation center via a QR code, and emailed the survey to our 200-plus student employees and other student and staff/faculty organizations on campus,” said Del Amo. “The survey was left open for several months and we received a total of 251 responses.”
Through observation of what was formerly the cardio bay, Del Amo said staff knew this space was underutilized. Concurrently to the Fitness Needs Assessment survey, student staff completed reports on usage for each grouping of cardio. This data showcased there were groups of cardio equipment with less than 1% usage.
“After I interpreted the data, I prepared presentations for key stakeholders on campus,” said Del Amo. I wanted to leave space for questions but also provide a final opportunity for feedback. The selection process for these spaces intentionally uplifted the voices and needs from the student population.”
Student Reaction and Advice
Thus far, UNCW Campus Recreation is seeing a drastic change in how students use these fitness spaces. Del Amo said the free weight area is the most popular, but now students don’t have to wait to squat or deadlift.
“We don’t have equipment or areas that sit stagnant anymore,” said Del Amo. “All spaces of the fitness center are optimally used. Our community uses these spaces in several ways. Many use the Turf Bay for functional fitness, while others will lay on the turf and improve their mobility and flexibility.”
The free weight area now has 16 racks and platforms, cable machines, Smith machines and an array of dumbbells and plate-loaded machines. Del Amo said the placement of these items was done with the intentionality of the experience of both novice and expert gym visitors. Spacing and placement of the new items is crafted to create a truly inclusive space.
Lastly, UNCW Campus Recreation enhanced a converted racquetball court to consist of a space where folks can lift without the pressures of being in the largest strength area of the gym. There, they have a single rack with a platform, a Nautilus Glute Drive and various weighted objects.
Del Amo encouraged other schools to involve students in as much of the planning and implementation of fitness area improvements as possible. “It was great to see how their passion for the space grew when you asked their opinion and acted on their advice,” she said. “Our fitness and aquatics students have great insight on what would work best for the student body and expressed their benefit from being a part of this project created for them.”
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