Krista Gwilliam, the associate director of programs for Recreational Sports at Virginia Tech, worked closely with GameTime to outfit their Fitness Park on campus. Read below as she describes the level of ease and benefits of their partnership:
Campus Rec: How long have you been a GameTime customer?
Krista Gwilliam: We started working with GameTime in Fall 2017. The outdoor equipment was a portion of a complete quad renovation that included basketball and sand volleyball courts, so we worked with GameTime to select equipment and design custom pieces to fit the needs of the project. Construction began in June 2018 and was completed in December 2018.
CR: How were you introduced to GameTime, and why did you decide to work with them?
KW: We looked at several different companies that produced similar equipment, but ultimately decided on GameTime because they were the only company that was completely turnkey. We worked directly with GameTime on design, customization, manufacturing and installing the pieces. We loved the ability to customize pieces to fit our needs and the ease of working with the same company for every aspect of the project.
CR: What are the benefits to your rec center as a result of this partnership?
KW: A piece of the Virginia Tech master plan is to give our residential quads identities to enable our students to interact with other students outside of the classrooms. Having an outdoor fitness park has allowed our recreation department to support the university’s master plan, while promoting our culture of well-being. The type of equipment we received from GameTime encourages accidental play, which is exactly what we were looking for in the residential quad. This also provided us with an additional space to provide programming and special events.
CR: What are the benefits to your members as a result of this partnership?
KW: We were in a unique situation where we were facing overcrowding in our rec centers, while anticipating one of our facilities going offline for a renovation. We needed to come up with alternate exercise space for our users. Building the Fitness Park not only provided additional exercise space, but encouraged students to exercise outside, which they gain additional benefits from. GameTime’s equipment fits current fitness industry trends, allowing our fitness team the ability to provide requested programming.
CR: Have you been pleasantly surprised by working with GameTime in any way?
KW: Yes, in many ways. GameTime’s ability to customize pieces for our campus was huge. They delivered on any wild idea or concept we gave them. One of the most impactful things about GameTime is their commitment to the project after install. They are very responsive with any follow-up items we have needed. They continue to be engaged in our department through educational programming and special events.
CR: What else can you tell other rec center professionals about the benefits of working with GameTime?
KW: When working with GameTime, you can expect excellent customer service, personalized products and a relationship that will last beyond the scope of the project.
