While Michigan continues to enforce COVID-19 restrictions on fitness centers, Hillsdale students have gotten creative in finding alternate ways to exercise.
Students of all years with different fitness backgrounds are leading workout groups for their peers, providing an outdoor exercise option to ensure student’s health and safety and comply with the state’s restrictions. The Student Activities Board partnered with the athletic department to host the workouts while the George H. Roche Sports Complex was closed for the first two weeks of the school year. Although the sports complex opened on Sept. 9, outdoor workouts will remain an option for the foreseeable future.
The fitness classes are meant to accommodate any skill level, according to two of the students leading fitness groups. There’s something for almost everyone, from ultimate frisbee classes to cycling, a women’s boot camp led by Jeffery “Chief” Rogers, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Director of Student Activities Ashlyn Neveau said the idea for student-led workouts began this summer as her and Director of Recreational Sports Lindsay Pierce discussed a potential substitute for the sports complex. Students would be missing a serious resource of their physical and mental health without it, Neveau said.
“It’s why we have physical wellness. We know that that’s an important part of liberal arts education,” she said. “And we know based on the fact that a lot of students typically use the gym when it is open. So we could see that there was going to be a piece of student life that was missing.”
Aside from advertising and ensuring the groups have a place to workout, Neveau said the classes are completely student led. The college didn’t have the resources to employ coaches to lead fitness groups, but Neveau said she knew there were qualified students whose passion for health and fitness would serve well as student leaders.
Among those students is Emma Noverr, a senior as well as founder and president of the cycling club. Noverr was already planning for the team to offer rides during the week, so she said when Pierce reached out to her in the beginning of August she saw it as a good opportunity to pull interested riders in addition to their team members.
No changes have been made as outdoor cycling naturally meets COVID-19 restrictions. Noverr offers three events per week, including a mounting biking clinic and off road clinic, which Director of the Science Laboratory & Stockroom Director Douglas Dobroski helps lead. Dobroski is a new faculty member who formerly spent years teaching a juniors cycling team in Cincinnati.
Noverr also guides a road ride that lasts about 30 miles, which she said is tailored toward the more serious cyclers. For beginners, Noverr recommends her “Friday Friendly Ride” that begins at Central Hall and ends at either Baw Beese Lake and Trail or The Udder Side. It is her highest-attended group and she considers it to be somewhat of a social hour. Participants can rent a bike from SAB or Hayden Park free of cost.
“I started the cycling team because when I came here freshman year I was not adjusting very well from Colorado to here; cycling and getting out on a bike was super therapeutic and stress relieving,” Noverr said. “It’s also nice for people who don’t have cars to get off campus and see the surrounding area. It just feels freeing.”
Abigail Synder ‘24 shares a similar zest for health and fitness. After working out at her gym since she was 15, Synder said it’s an essential part of her daily routine. She offers her HIIT class at 7:15 a.m., a characteristic that she said builds character and helps provide stress relief.
“It reminds us to get your mind moving to get your mind up and going and it actually improves your day. The days that I work out here versus days that I don’t, I’ve noticed a change in my performance in classes on quizzes and exams,” she said. “We get stressed out but we want to make sure that we have a proper balance for our mental health.”
Her workouts can be modified to fit all fitness levels, she said. Snyder encourages everyone to incorporate exercise into their daily routine after seeing the results in her own life.
Although the programs are aimed at students, everyone is welcome to participate. Many professors and their spouses have attended Noverr’s groups, she said.
A full schedule of student-led fitness groups can be found in the Student Activities Office newsletter.
