 |
Photo by Irene
Fertik UCLA Today
Cheryl Kerfeld gets an early morning cardio workout in
the newly opened Wooden West addition. People no longer have
to wait to use the equipment. |
UCLA4u
Wooden West Wows 'em
BY David Greenwald
UCLA Today Staff
It was dark, wet and chilly at 6:30 on the morning of Jan. 10,
but inside the John Wooden Center Jack Gibbons was breaking a sweat.
Peddling on a Lifecycle in the newly opened Wooden West expansion,
he also was catching up on the news, a copy of the Los Angeles Times
open in front of him as he went through his morning paces.
"These new facilities are great," enthused Gibbons, associate
director of residential life. "I'm a regular, from 6 to 8 a.m.
or so, and it looks to me like there are a lot more people at this
hour. But there are more machines so there are no lines."
In fact, the number of strength and cardio workout machines available
in the Strength Training and Cardio Exercise Zone has tripled: There
are 224 pieces of equipment that include treadmills, elliptical
trainers, bikes, weight training machines, lifting benches, stair
climbers and steppers. The space also has increased from 3,300 square
feet to 11,300 square feet, and the amenities include state of the
art sound systems and television monitors.
"There's a real 'wow' effect when people see it for the first
time," said Mick DeLuca, director of cultural and recreational
affairs. "We believe this is something that people will be
both excited about and proud of. It is as good as anywhere anyone
can think of joining."
Cheryl Kerfeld, academic administrator for the genomics program
in the Division of Life Sciences, would agree. "Spectacular"
is how she described Wooden West. "There's more of everything,
and everything is state of the art — the newest and the best.
And it's well lit and really pleasant. It's almost too much,"
she said with a laugh.
DeLuca said there are plans for a promotional "splash"
and grand opening in February. But the expansion is not over with
the opening of the Exercise Zone. An outdoor recreation area, which
will offer informational resources and rentals, as well as an Energy
Zone convenience store, are slated to open soon.
|
