An Exploration of the WWU Rec. Center
“I’ve missed more than nine thousand shots in my career. I’ve lost almost three hundred games, twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed, I failed over and over and over again in life and that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan
This quote embodies the meaning and the purpose of the Western Washington University Rec. Center, or any rec. center for that matter. The gym is a place of work towards perfection; it is a place people go to better themselves, and a place where failure becomes success. The people at the gym are there to fail and learn and fail again all for the goal of self-improvement.
Once inside the gym, you can look around and see right away that it is a place of hard work and self-imposed reward, as any gym should be. You can see people working out with barbells and machines, climbing on the Rec. Center’s quality rock climbing wall, playing basketball or volleyball, all manners of physical exertion. Just by looking around you can feel your own legs and arms getting a workout.
The focus of the larger part of the Rec. Center is on basketball, seeing as there are four basketball courts in the building. You can almost immediately see three of the basketball courts all in a row after you check in at the front desk, spanning the majority of the width of the whole building. Personally, I play a lot of basketball so I am somewhat partial to the basketball portion of the gym. But beyond my own bias, I believe basketball is the most prevalent sport in the gym.
While you’re there you can watch the pickup basketball games, or even join in on one. Joining in on pickup games is one of the best ways to enjoy the gym, you get to feel what it’s like to be part of that “work hard and get rewarded” feeling, as well as being part of a team and getting some competition to test your skills.
The quality of the basketball courts is greatly unappreciated in my opinion. The wood is very well finished, the baskets are of a very high quality and aren’t double rimmed (which is always a plus), the nets almost never rip, and the balls that the equipment desk provides are very high quality. The access to a good basketball center here at the Rec. Center is probably one of the best in Washington. For a student that enjoys basketball as much as I do this place represents a huge opportunity for improvement and fun every day.
If you’re into volleyball you can find your place at the gym too. There’s a great volleyball court set up over on the far side of the facility. The net is regulation size and well maintained, which is just what any good volleyball player wants. It’s always frustrating when you hit the ball and it hits the ceiling, luckily the architects thought of that and built the roofs high enough so that wouldn’t be a worry for any athlete.
If you’re not into playing any sports, then you can just go run around the wonderful indoor track that the Rec. Center has to offer, or use some of the great workout rooms that are there. The great thing about the workout rooms is that they have a huge variety of machines and equipment to use. You should have no trouble finding the right equipment to use when working out.
Some of the less wonderful parts about the Rec. Center are that for most newcomers the whole experience can be more or less daunting and intimidating. The staff at the Rec. Center could change around some of the equipment so that the ones that are easier to use are all located in one area, and the more complicated machines off in a different area. I think some people dedicated to helping out newcomers would also be a huge help for some of the non-regulars.
The Rec. Center, in the end, provides a huge source of fun and entertainment and also serves as a place where people go to better themselves and to get work done for solely self-improvement. People should go visit their local gym or come check out the Western Washington University Rec. Center to get more informed about the wonders of exercise. As the great Michael Jordan said, you need to fail in order to succeed, so get out there and start failing.
