Group fitness classes are back at the Athletic Wellness and Recreation Center this spring. After the hiatus of classes for the Fall 2023 semester due to staffing issues, the AWRC has made the return possible.
For much of the fall, the AWRC searched for a new Director of Wellness and Recreation. In early November, Robert Simels was brought on to fill the position. It became a priority for him to reinstate the classes for the upcoming spring.
“I reached out to returning instructors from the Spring 2023 semester and inquired if they would be interested in leading group fitness classes this semester,” said Simels. “I also had a couple newly certified instructors reach out about teaching as well. Once the people were in place, we built a schedule based on the availability of the instructors and the times we felt the most students would be available to take the classes.”
Students have the opportunity once again to attend workouts with a variety of instructors seven days a week. The classes include indoor cycling, yoga, cardio dance and street-style dance.
Third-year communications disorders major,Katarina Xie, is one of the cycling instructors this semester. “My spin classes focus on adaptive resistance, endurance and strength training,” she said. “My classes are a judgment-free zone, as I dim the lights for all cyclists to improve and challenge themselves at their own pace.”
“For me, exercise, whether through swimming, tennis or cycling, has always been an outlet in which I would release negative thoughts, worries and anxieties.” Xie’s passion for cycling began in middle school, as she enjoyed the freedom and speed the sport offers. She was inspired to take up the position at the AWRC after participating in classes her first year at New Paltz and finding community in the sport.
Beginning her third semester as a cycling instructor, Xie actively works toward fostering this community and building the skills and personal comfort each cyclist has in the class. “Coming from a background of playing sports, I understand that each participant has a different level of comfortability,” she said. “Therefore, I include a variety of workouts including sprints, jumps, hill climbs and upper-body strength training.”
Students are excited to have the workout classes back. Ruby Wilson, third-year psychobiology major, frequented cycling classes last year and was disappointed upon returning in the fall when she could no longer attend.
“I really liked the community and to have somewhere to go and someone to coach me through it,” said Wilson. “Doing it with other people is a lot of fun because it’s a shared experience and it’s tough but you’re getting through it together. It just makes me happier to exercise with other people.”
The turn out and sign ups also reflect the student body’s enthusiasm. As of Feb. 20, the classes had 471 people sign up 1405 times for the 86 classes hosted so far, averaging 16 people per class, according to Simels.
There are plans to expand the types of classes offered in the future. “We want to hear what the students are looking for and then get qualified people to teach the classes,” Simels said. “This current schedule is a start that we hope to grow and diversify the offerings to meet the needs of more students on campus.”
All students have access to sign up for these free classes through the IMLeagues app by going to the network section and choosing the fitness tab to see available sessions. The full schedule of classes can be found on nphawks.com under the Wellness & Recreation tab.