Treadmill potato

Not only are students burning calories when they run on the treadmills at the Campus Rec Center, many are also charging their iPods and watching televison.

Those are just two types of new features on the 73 new pieces of exercise equipment recently acquired by the Campus Recreation Intramural Center this semester. The cardio machines were delivered in "chunks" during the month of August because the order was so large.

Steve Whistler, assistant director of Campus Recreation Services, said the $250,000 equipment has been a hit with students so far.

"We get roughly 1,000 students per day," he said "In a year, we observe 45,000 people in the cardio area. Not 45,000 different people. Among all of the areas, that's one of the most used areas, which is another reason why we keep equipment current. Right now, that's what they want."

Getting the equipment is much like trading in a car, and when you trade them in, you get a certain value towards the purchase, he said.

The cardio equipment, consisting of ellipticals, treadmills, exercise bikes and adaptive motion trainers, is obtained through a University bid process anytime there is a large amount of items needed. Whistler and his crew send in an order with specifications as to what they want. Then the vendors send in prices. Whoever has the lowest price with all the equipment they need is the one they purchase it all from.

"After three years, we start having some issues with the equipment," he said. "Cardio equipment takes quite a pounding. We start seeing more and more issues around then, so that is why have established that as a pattern."

For now, they plan on replacing the equipment every three years, unless the Rec Center gets a budget cut.

"That order was all started at the end of last year," Whistler said. "This budget year is very different from last year. Obviously, we are glad that we are able to make the purchase. That's our plan if our budget holds. There is a lot of discussion with budgets on campus. We are going to try and accumulate the funds for next time. We have to plan that way to be able to do it."

In addition to the three-year replacement of cardio machines, all the strength equipment such as free-weights are replaced every five years. The reason that equipment isn't changed as often is because there are no electronic parts that wear down. Whistler said those pieces would be replaced in two years "unless something changes."

The $250,000 that pays for the equipment comes from student activity fees. Whistler said they try to get students' input on what equipment is chosen. Often, they will demo a new type of equipment and have students who use it, fill out surveys or give their opinions about the machines.

For example, some of the new treadmills allowed users to plug in their iPods using USB cables.

"The industry itself is constantly trying to find new angles people want," Whistler said. "I don't know that another company has that. Having TV's in the treadmills was new in the last batch of equipment. We thought well, 'Let's go for it.'"

One sophomore merchandising major, Jessi Hesseldahl, said she really enjoyed the new machines.

"I really like the Octane Fuel Elliptical," Hesseldahl said. "It's not like the regular ones. There's more movement involved. There's more movement involved. I run on it every time I'm in there. It's cool because you can just plug your iPod in. It's always easier to run when you've got good tunes in your ear."

Olivia Barnes, an intern at the Rec Center, said she thinks the $27 per semester fees are a steal. All full-time students taking six credit hours or more can get in for free with student IDs.

"You would pay that in one month for a gym membership," she said. "And here you get it for around three months. It's really a good deal."

The busiest time of day to go to the gym is between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. That's when it gets so full, it's hard to use certain machines. One of Whistler's hopes is to get more space for equipment.

"Believe it or not, we need more equipment," he said.

"The trend among other universities is to create larger areas for fitness," he said. "For whatever reason, we aren't in a position to pursue that right now."

Barnes, a senior sports management major, said she goes to the gym five days a week for a couple of hours at a time. One trend she said she noticed was how men tend to workout in pairs, and women tend to go alone.

"Guys usually have a workout partner and try to help each other," she said. "With the women its more of a single thing. I've seen a few who will get on a treadmill side by side, but most of the time it's by themselves."

She said having a motivational exercise place is a good thing because "being in the South, we like to eat."

If there are any questions on how to use a piece of the equipment, don't hesitate to ask, Barnes said.

"We definitely want to see them on machines as much as possible," she said.

The Campus Recreation Intramural Service Center is open Mon- Thursday- 6:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.; Friday 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday 1 - 6 p.m. For more information about free exercise classes, visit: http://www.memphis.edu/cris/classes.htm.