This fall semester, Elizabethtown College has welcomed back its students with plenty of events and activities to keep them occupied while on campus. Among some of the activities being offered are two new group fitness classes, self-defense and cardio kickboxing, that can be taken at the Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being.
Last semester, junior health sciences major Lucy Krug had approached Bowers Center Director Whitney Crull with the idea of adding the two new classes to the group fitness class lineup. Crull loved the idea. “I actually taught cardio kickboxing at previous institutions that I’ve been at and would’ve loved to have that here, but obviously, you want someone certified to do it,” Crull said. “Lucy, our instructor for those two classes, had come up to me last semester talking about all of her certifications that she had in taekwondo and jiu jitsu and talked about the potential of adding those classes.”
When the applications finally opened for new group fitness instructors, Krug applied and sat down with Crull once again to talk about the addition of the classes. After discussing the classes that Krug could teach, they came up with those two and decided to add them to the group fitness class list.
While adding the self-defense and cardio kickboxing seemed like a great idea, Crull realized that she needed an instructor that had the proper training and qualifications. Luckily, Krug had exactly what they were looking for. The new instructor had trained in martial arts for 11 years, where she focused on taekwondo. After finishing her training, she then taught classes of her own for seven years. While teaching, she was able to work with a wide variety of students, which ranged from students as young as four years old all the way up to adults as old as 50.
Krug has been attending group fitness classes since she started at Etown as a first-year, where she found her community. However, she realized how much she missed martial arts and wanted to bring it to her school. “I decided hey, a great way to get both people who have never done it before and people who have together to do martial arts to kick and punch and use the art form as its supposed to be as a workout,” Krug said.
While both classes are meant to be a workout, both Crull and Krug want anyone who takes the class to come away with a newfound sense of confidence. According to Krug, “I want them to come away with a new confidence. A confidence in knowing how to carry themselves, how to defend themselves. That’s really what the self-defense class is about, because that precontact awareness and that confidence, whether you’ve faced things in the past that you didn’t know how to deal with or you’re just anticipating something in the future and wanting to be prepared, I think that’s what I want them to take away from the classes.”
Crull shared a similar sentiment, saying, “I’m hoping that people that attend just gain more confidence, especially walking late at night, or maybe they’re in areas that don’t make them feel safe, having the basic knowledge and basic skills on how to protect themselves can make them feel more comfortable.”
Both self-defense and cardio kickboxing are classes that can be attended by any student or faculty or staff member. The self-defense class is on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. while cardio kickboxing is scheduled every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending can register online and come regardless of skill level.
While the two latest classes have been an exciting addition to the group fitness class list, there’s two other new classes that Crull is eager to introduce. Foam Roll Fridays group fitness class that will happen once a month this semester. The idea of the class is to help teach those who are interested in learning how to properly use a foam roller on their muscles. Each class, a different muscle group will be targeted and attendees can learn the right way to roll that part of the body. In the Spring, the once-a-month Friday class will continue. However, the foam rollers will be swapped for resistance bands. Each month, different exercises will be taught and demonstrated on how resistance bands can be used properly and effectively. While the dates for the Spring classes are still being decided on, those who are interested in attending Foam Roll Fridays can sign up for the 30-minute class taking place on Sept. 16, Oct. 21 and Nov. 18.
