Coming off a lazy summer? The revitalized Bowers Fitness Center is ready to welcome you back to campus, fresh in shape and in style.
Elizabethtown College’s on campus, free-to-use gym underwent several changes this summer, the highlight of which is a lineup of brand-new, perfect condition cardio machines, including treadmills, ellipticals and stationary bicycles. Equipment changes were made to keep up with the evolving wants and needs of Etown students using the Fitness Center.
A major upgrade of the new machines demonstrates this evolution. Cardio machines that once featured touchscreen displays now have traditional LED screens. Eliminating touchscreens was a deliberate decision by the Office of Campus Recreation and Well-Being, which oversees the Bowers Center.
According to Whitney Crull, the Senior Director for Student Involvement and Well-Being, this change “saved a significant amount of money” for the Fitness Center, money that was reinvested back into the campus gym. With those savings, Crull said she “was able to purchase a couple new strength pieces that students have been saying they wanted, such as a plate loaded T-Bar Row, Upright Dual Leg Extension/Leg Curl and a new half squat rack with [a] pulley on the back.”
The renovation did not stop at new equipment. The Fitness Center’s layout was rearranged to make the space more functional for more students. Additional group fitness classes, always popular among students, were added to Bowers Center programming as well. Fourteen different fitness classes are now offered throughout the year, including sessions on Pilates, Zumba and full-body bike workouts. More information about group fitness can be found on the Bowers Center website.
Brian Merk, a junior professional writing major on the cross country team, appreciated how the renovations improve the fitness experience for both casual and frequent gym-goers. “They did that turf patch, which is kind of nice,” Merk said, alluding to a newly-added lane of turf-like material now used by sports teams to simulate a field while in the gym. Crull has heard similar positive feedback from athletes and students, including from student groups like the Lifting Club and the Exercise Science Club.
Student employees of the Bowers Center also speak highly of the added amenities. One employee, named Anne, admired the additional space provided to users of the Fitness Center. “There was that office that nobody was using, so it gave more space for us to use,” she said.
Emily Hammaker, another student employee, discussed the efforts by Bowers Center officials to keep the Fitness Center fresh and engaging, including giving employees thorough training onhow to use all the new equipment and facilities in the gym. Hammaker noted that new equipment can be intimidating for first-time users, and as a Fitness Center user as well as employee, Hammaker recognized the value of improving the supportive, welcoming feeling of the Center alongside the physical improvements to the equipment and layout.
The Bowers Center opened in 2019 with a mission to expand the health and wellness opportunities for students of Etown. Since its opening, it has become a hub of activity at Etown. It boasts over a dozen features and facilities like an indoor fieldhouse, an outdoor firepit and the Fresh Nest, a popular smoothie and ramen bar. It has many roles, ranging from a major event space, a popular workplace for student employees and a destination for recreational extracurricular activities.
The Fitness Center has been a preeminent draw for students visiting the Bowers Center. Seven years since its opening, its continuous improvements and refinements keep bringing the students back. This year, it is no different. “It’s good to have some of the extra stuff they put in,” Merk said. “We appreciate that it’s there.”
