By: Abby Gehring, Intern at Allen Fitness Center
Hello, my name is Abby Gehring! I am currently in my senior year at UW-Stevens Point and am a Physical Education major with a Health Education minor. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work at the Allen Fitness Center for the last four years! This last year, I had the pleasure of taking on an additional internship at the Allen Fitness Center.
One of the main reasons I love working here is our laid-back atmosphere. If you’re working out, no one cares if it is your first time or if it’s your 100th time here. The staff is welcoming and loves helping members if they need it or if they just want someone to talk to. When I started working here as a freshman, it was a great way to meet new people, get new ideas to incorporate into my workout routine, and find a community of people to keep me motivated to work out during the week.
As a current intern, one of my main jobs is to promote the Allen Fitness Center. I started the Equipment Spotlights, which are informational pages for pieces of equipment that don’t get used as much as others. Each week, I rotate a display board with a new sheet that describes what the equipment does, what muscle groups it works, what unique features the equipment has, and what a staff member likes about it. Another promotion we are starting is the “FitRec Passport” program (kicking off March 27). Students can pick up a passport at either the Allen Fitness Center, the Aquatics Center, or the Skyward Fieldhouse. This passport has 30 different Fitness and Recreation activities to do on campus. Once students complete an activity, one of our staff members stamps and initials that activity on their passport. After completing five activities, the student enters a drawing for a chance to win prizes at the end of the semester. The more activities you complete, the more times your name is entered to win!
Another big part of my internship is engaging with our members through fun programs. One of those programs is the Weight Clubs—the Allen Fitness Center has five different weight clubs (100 lbs, 300 lbs, 500 lbs, 800 lbs, and 1000 lbs) depending on your combined totals for bench press, squat, and deadlift. Similarly, I formed an Activity Club to join by adding up the minutes you’re active during each week. At the end of the month, we total all the numbers up. These clubs are all about sharing your success with a community of others and encouraging students to stay active in whatever way they can!
It will be hard to say goodbye to the Allen Fitness Center when I graduate at the end of the semester. I can’t wait to see how they continue the programs that I started and come up with new ideas to support an active, healthy community at UWSP!
