By Brandon Davis
A common dilemma many students face when beginning their college careers out of high school is figuring out how to stay in shape while adjusting to a new schedule.
The Student Activities Center’s fitness center offers a variety of different activities to help keep students in shape, including an accessible weight room stocked with treadmills, free and machine weight systems and other cardiovascular equipment.
“In the Louisville Metropolitan area, this [SAC] is one of the best facilities around,” Ken Carey, gym employee, said. “The vast array of equipment and stuff that this facility has here along with the facilities at the Crawford and Humana, it can’t be beat.”
The SAC is open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and is free with an active student ID.
The SAC fitness center also provides five racquetball courts, two squash courts and complete locker room facilities along with four multi-purpose gym floors which are used for basketball, volleyball and badminton.
“It offers pretty much everything you want,” Greg Welsh, junior nursing major, said. “They have a gym, basketball courts, racquetball and they’re always open when you need them to be so it’s pretty convenient.”
For those looking to keep themselves occupied in some competitive form or just looking for a way to blow off some steam without all the sweat, the Cardinal Corner might be the answer. Also located in the SAC, the Cardinal Corner provides an assortment of free games for students to compete in, including pool, ping-pong, air hockey and foosball.
The Ralph Wright Natatorium, located on the corner of Warnock Ave. and Floyd St., is one for the newest facilities on campus and allows students a chance to swim in an Olympic-size pool. The Natatorium is also home to the U of L’s men’s and women’s swim teams and is complete with an eight-lane, 50 meter competition pool with depth ranging from four feet, six inches to 18 feet.
“It’s really a great facility,” Matt Blanford, graduate student and lifeguard, said. “It’s brand new and I think students are surprised when they find out that it’s even here and they’re allowed to use it for free.”
The Natatorium is open from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and is also open at various times on weekends.
The Humana Gym is another facility available for students looking to work out. Located on Bradley Ave. and Eastern Pkwy., the Humana Gym offers complete weight and cardiovascular rooms, dry heat saunas and gym floors are available when not used for club practices. Free for students, the Humana Gym is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
U of L also offers a variety of different sports clubs and intramural league sports which provide students looking for a more structured plan to help maintain a healthy lifestyle, a solid solution while satisfying their competitive juices.
With clubs like badminton, fencing, gymnastics and many others, students are given the opportunity to compete while receiving a chance to learn a new sport or continuing to play a familiar one. There are also many different intramural league sports students can play including football, basketball, and soccer.
Oh, you shouldn't have. Really. Almost everyone has been the not-so-lucky recipient of a truly horrible holiday gift: a reindeer sweater from Grandma, underpants from Mom, school supplies from aunts and uncles. Even friends giving gifts to friends - especially boyfriends and girlfriends - should take extra caution when shopping.
You know a little too much about George Bailey and "It's a Wonderful Life." You might vomit if you have to watch Tim Allen in another drawn-out sequel to "The Santa Clause." You'll probably jump into the fire with the yule log if Arnold Schwarzenegger tries to prove he can act in another holiday film.
'Tis the season of holiday exploitation, tidings of daunting commercialism and a flow of overwhelming advertising. The façade of Christmas joy and celebration continues to surface as Americans are bombarded with false claims of the true meaning of Christmas.
Do you have a mile-long shopping list this holiday season but not a lot of extra cash? Let's face it; shopping at the mall is highly overrated. The prices are inflated, the traffic is ridiculous and we often end up with gifts that just don't have the personal touch we're looking for.
With Christmas around the corner, many students are concerned about saving money, getting their shopping done and making plans for the holiday break. Others have one more thing added to that list - a birthday. December birthdays can be a hassle for all. Planning parties between holidays create stress and are difficult to pull off.
Jim Valvano will always be remembered for reminding people how much sports mean and at the same time how very little. Every sports fan saw his jubilation as he ran around the court looking for a hug after leading North Carolina State to a 1983 basketball National Championship over heavily favored Houston.
It's the end of the semester and instructors are asking students to complete late assignments, finals, papers and one more thing, course evaluations. Most students fill out the forms quickly marking so many A's and so many E's so they can leave class early.
With the fall sports season coming to a close and this being our last issue until early January, I thought I would rundown the top seven Cardinal sports storylines that may surface over the next four or five months. 7.Tone Belt and Andre Black The sophomore tandem already had impressive showings in the fall including great finishes at the Junior World Championships in Beijing, China.
The Oscars are coming, the Oscars are coming! It's December and movie studios will soon release their best feature films for the chance at earning Hollywood's most prized possession, the Academy Award. This month, American theaters will be overloaded with films full of self-interest and empty performances leaving audiences searching for a genuine film aimed at entertaining them rather than Oscar voters.
It's not often students are able to display their artwork in a public gallery prior to graduation. Chez Moi, a local gallery owned by Brad Herre, is trying to change that. Located at 974 Barret Avenue, this recently-opened Louisville art gallery is proud to promote the artwork of University of Louisville students on a regular basis.
