New gym vs. Gold's Gym Meredith Long/ Reporter
Elon students, faculty and staff members must decide whether
they should go to Campus Rec or Gold’s Gym to
workout.
Most students go to Campus Rec because of its on-campus
location and the lack of a monthly or yearly fee. However,
other students and faculty members go to Gold’s Gym
because of the easy availability of equipment and the variety
of group fitness classes that are offered.
Gold’s Gym even offers a discount for students who
decide to use their workout facilities, equaling $125 a
year.
Even though Campus Rec enlarged its facility during the
summer and added more machines, users are discouraged because
of the wait period for the cardio and free weights
machines.
“I would have to say that the wait does turn some, not
all, to switch to a gym off-campus,” junior Mike Pisano
said. “Students have busy schedules and if they
can’t get to the gym and get their workout done during
the period of time they have set for the gym on-campus, they
are going to switch to somewhere that they can.”
For those unwilling to wait for a machine, Gold’s Gym
offers a membership at three locations near campus: Colonial
Mall, Alamance Road and Graham. Roughly 150 Elon students are
members at the three locations, averaging about 15 students
per day at each local gym.
“We make it very easy for students to join
Gold’s Gym,” said Jill DuPont, assistant manager
at the Colonial Mall location. “We offer a personal
trainer to go around with the member for their first visit to
the gym.”
Junior Lauren Sciarrino, a certified aerobics and group
fitness instructor, teaches classes at two Gold’s Gym
locations, averaging 20-22 hours per week. Before working at
Gold’s Gym, she taught group fitness at Campus
Rec.
Sciarrino regularly works out at Gold’s Gym in
addition to teaching Spinning, Pilates, Yoga, Yogalates, Body
Pump and Sculpting classes. There is an average of about five
Elon students in each of her group fitness classes that are
offered.
“There is more of a variety of classes at Gold’s
Gym than at Campus Rec,” Sciarrino said. “You can
take anything from Japanese Karate to Spinning.”
Spinning, or indoor cycling, is one of the more popular
classes at Gold’s Gym that is not offered at Campus
Rec.
Campus Rec is the best option for a fitness center for
students with tight budgets and no car. But students with a
car and a little extra cash can check out Gold’s Gym
for some variety in their workout.
Contact Meredith Long at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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