New fitness center to whip Troy University into shape

Emma Daniel Troy University’s long-awaited fitness center is opening on Nov. 1. The fitness center will have three stories full of new amenities for students, featuring two athletic courts, a spin room, a game room, a lounge area and multiple fitness areas with different kinds of exercise equipment. “The new fitness center will offer multiple programs, anywhere from low, medium and high-impact aerobics to more of those functional fitness-type classes,” said Shane Tatum, the director of campus recreation. Tatum said the fitness center will offer about 42 weekly classes. A walking and running track with an incline and decline to adjust will be suspended on the third floor, offering a 360-degree view of campus. A café will also be added, and because Sodexo will run the café, flex points will most likely be used, Tatum said. A 5-foot outdoor pool with a waterfall is also under construction behind the fitness center. The 790,000-square-foot project has been in progress for about two years. “This (fitness center) is second to none — it really is a first-rate facility,” said Dr. John Schmidt, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Administration. “I am excited about the pool,” said Samanta Haque, a sophomore biomedical science major from Louisville. “Usually, after classes, I just go home, and I can’t find anything to do. “With the recreation center, there’s going to be so much to do that I don’t see myself getting bored.” Access will be free for students with a student ID card, and faculty and staff can purchase a membership for $420 a year.