No Sweat
ROBINSON CENTER HOURS
Finals week hours Dec. 11 to 18
Gymnasium: 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Weight and fitness: 12:30-2:30 p.m., 5-10:30 p.m.
Gymnastics: 5 - 10:30 p.m.
Swimming: 5:30-10 p.m.
Weekend hours: 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Holiday hours Dec. 19 through 31
Weight and fitness: 12:30-2:30 p.m., 5-8 p.m.
Gymnastics: 5-8 p.m.
Swimming: 6-8 a.m., 5-7:45 p.m.
Weekend hours: 1-8 p.m.
Holidays can inhibit regular exercising
Some trying to stay in shape choose to work out indoors
The harsh realities of winter in Kansas are forcing students who normally exercise outside to search for new ways to stay in shape during the coldest months of the year.
It's hard to ride a bicycle on a sheet of ice, and running when the temperature is below zero is not pleasant.
"Its just too cold in the winter," said Ryan Muller, Wichita sophomore. "I do a lot of things during the spring and fall, like play basketball outside and football. During the winter, I mostly lift weights at Robinson."
Many students who want to stay in shape during the winter do the same.
"We see a big increase in number of students," said Bob Lockwood, Robinson Center director. "There is a lot more free play in the racquetball, basketball and fitness areas."
Robinson, which is open from 6 to 8 a.m. and from 5 p.m.to midnight, offers activities from swimming to weightlifting. The building is more crowded in the winter than it is at other times of the year.
"Most people who exercise outdoors come in to escape the cold," Lockwood said.
Allen Field House also gets most of its exercisers in the winter. The field house has an indoor track for walking and running and is open from 8 a.m.to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Robinson must limit its hours during finals week and winter break.
"We just can't keep the same hours during these times," Lockwood said. "The demand of the students is not as great, we have to stay within budget and our student employees can't work a lot during those times."
This inconvenience, combined with crowded areas, sometimes causes students to look for other places to get in shape.
An alternative to using University facilities that is popular with students is joining
an athletic club.
"As an industry, we see a big increase in the number of student customers in January or February," said Rick Stehman, manager of New Life Family Fitness Center. 2500 West Sixth St. "This is about the time of year in which it gets too cold for runners. So they join to stay in shape during the offseason."
This is the case at Lawrence Athletic Club, 3201 Mesa Way.
Megan Mansfeld, an aerobics instructor at Total Fitness Athletic Center, 2108 W. 27th St., said she believed the increase was even more dramatic right before spring break.
"There is a dramatic increase, and this place gets extremely crowded around that time of year," said Francie Kaye, a customer representative for the club.
"The closer we get to warmer weather, the more people start to come," Mansfeld said. "People want to get into shape so that they will look good during spring break and the summer."
Athletic clubs try to entice more students by offering services and equipment the University does not.
Stehman said that New Life's biggest attraction for students was its Cross Line Circuit Training system, which allows participants to get a workout using both cardiovascular and weightlifting exercises in a 25-minute workout.
Clubs and Robinson are not the only options for fitness-minded students. Several attempt to stay in shape with exercise equipment they already own or by using exercises that do not require equipment. Others are willing to brave the elements and continue to exercise outdoors.
Other clubs offer jacuzzis, day care, tanning beds and even masseuses.
The last choice, however, simply is to make no effort to stay in shape. Mansfeld said this also was a popular alternative.
"The temptation to stay out of shape and be lazy during the winter is great," Mansfeld said. "A lot of people fall victim to it. The bad weather prevents people from exercising normally, and they tend not to watch what they eat as much."
12 Hawk Holidays
—BY NEAL SHULENBURGER
William December 6, 1995