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Fitness Center Lacks Repair Budget
by John Walenczyk
The Taylor Fitness Center that resides in the basement of Wren Student Union has had problems this year, including broken equipment, a nonexistent budget, and a repairman who clocked out of work a long time ago.
"It's gotten better, but there is still room for improvement," said Benjamin Bostic, who has experienced how the center can be a dangerous place if one is not paying attention.
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Students using the center have encountered an exercise machine with a broken latch, a bench that unexpectedly collapsed, and dumbbells with chipping paint.
"It's gotten better, but there is still room for improvement," said Benjamin Bostic, who has experienced how the center can be a dangerous place if one is not paying attention.
One afternoon last semester Bostic was performing a very basic shoulder exercise on a bench that has an adjustable backrest. The bench can lay flat or be transformed so it is like sitting in a chair. Using two dumbbells he began working out his shoulders when suddenly the bench gave out under him. He avoided serious injury when the heavy dumbbells he was using fell out of harm's way.
He did not report the incident and continues to visit the Taylor Fitness Center on a daily basis.
Robin Cole, the manager of Wren who is responsible for most of the major upkeep of the Student Union, said students should inform her immediately about problems. She stressed that the Taylor Fitness Center is safe. "I would never let students on equipment that wasn't safe." She explained that basic maintenance and repairs are continually underway, but they proceed in slow motion.
The Smith Machine, which has been on the list of injured equipment in the fitness center since summer, has finally been repaired.
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The Smith Machine for instance, which has been on the list of injured equipment in the fitness center since summer, has finally been repaired. For those who are not familiar with this machine, it is the device that stands straight up, with a bar that is fixed horizontally. It is used mostly to do squats. One of the latches that lets the bar rest was broken. Without the latch, the bar can come down while loaded with heavy weights and injure the person using it. All it took to fix it was a small, inexpensive bolt.
Except for the hole in the ceiling that was caused by water leakage, many of the problems are not major.
"It's a decent facility. Someone just needs to crack down on the upkeep," said a non-student member of the fitness center who also is a personal trainer and muscular therapist.
One of the latches that lets the bar rest was broken. Without the latch, the bar can come down while loaded with heavy weights and injure the person using it. All it took to fix it was a small, inexpensive bolt.
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He said that the center is not a dangerous place to work out, and for its size, it offers much. His main concern is that people do not return weights, bars, and other pieces of equipment to their proper places. He has seen friends get hurt trying to move weights that are too heavy just so they can use the machine, when those weights should not have been there in the first place.
The biggest obstacle that Cole faces as far as making sure that the fitness center is in proper working order is that there is no budget to work with. The Taylors, the family for whom the weight room is named, have made occasional donations to keep the weight room pumping, but not enough for regular inspections and repairs.
Cole explained that a few years back the college had a contract with Mission St. Joseph's Hospital. The hospital set up the Taylor Fitness Center with different types of equipment and would send a maintenance man to do repairs. He would come once a month to fix whatever was broken. The hospital did this for patients with heart problems who lived only in Madison County. Instead of driving to Asheville for rehabilitation, the patients could come to the college.
After some time had passed Mission St. Joseph's had fewer and fewer heart patients in Madison County who needed to come to the college. The hospital decided to not sign another contract and took most of their equipment back (except for an exercise bicycle which can still be found at the center).
This meant that the repairman went with the package. Cole explained that he will come every-so-often, but not on a regular basis. The last time he was here was over the summer, and then because the school called him. It is hard to find a maintenance man who will work for nothing to fix the equipment.
Many items have been repaired or replaced, such as some of the dumbbells that have gone missing and the Smith Machine. Rust has been cleaned off the barbells. Some equipment was reupholstered during the summer.
But other work still needs to be done. People who use the weight room should be careful of the paint that is chipping off many of the dumbbells, to avoid getting paint chips in the eyes. Some machines have cracked plates, and the lap pull-down which sits in the back has a sticker that clearly says that it should be attached to a wall. It is not attached to the wall and should be used with caution.
Cole said the student body has been patient as she does her best to refine the weight room. "The response that I have gotten from the student body has been very positive."
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What many students forget is that the fitness center gets used constantly, especially by all the athletic teams on campus, since only the football team has its own l facility. The other teams must rely on the Taylor Fitness Center. These teams combined with the rest of the student body and local residents put a great deal of wear on the weight room.
Cole said the student body has been patient as she does her best to refine the weight room. "The response that I have gotten from the student body has been very positive."
She urged students to see her with complaints or if they notice anything that needs to be fixed. The sooner she finds out about any problems, the sooner they can get fixed. Her office number is (828) 689-1408.
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