One of the best advantages of being a Knight is uncomplicated access to the UCF gym. The flexible hours, the group exercise classes, the modern equipment, and certainly the helpful student employees. As a fitness fan, I’m only there for an hour and a half at the most on the days my personal schedule permits, but the employees may be there for a much longer period of time and are around for when the funny stuff happens. So I spoke with some student employees at our famed Rec Center to see what goes down when the rest of us are too busy in our own workout worlds.
Downstairs near the rock climbing wall, Chris Freiberg, Mechanical Engineering, was teaching a class with a partner. “He kept poking me while I was trying to teach, so I went to kick him. He jumped up to avoid it, but my foot caught his legs and he fell flat on the ground.” Freiberg said this all happened in front of the students and caused some laughs.
Janeen Reiter, Health Sciences, is a newer employee at the gym but has still seen some entertaining workouts. “One guy is notorious for making what sound like sex noises while lifting weights,” she said. “He had his headphones on so he couldn’t hear it, but everyone else laughed.”
Back at the rock climbing wall, Natalie Paquette, Psychology, told me about the shenanigans and pranks that got played. One time she had a crash pad thrown at her. “A lot of hijinks go on around here,” she said, among the staff members. She was even a victim of one of the most popular pranks at the rock climbing wall: hiding shoes. Paquette said that when they’re stationed at the rock climbing area, they’re not allowed to leave during their shift. In order to get a drink from upstairs, she attempted to get a dollar to a friend by attaching it to a rubber band ball and tossing it to the upper level. “It fell and bounced off the wall, across the desk, and all over the place,” she said laughing.
Kayla O’Brien, Broadcast Journalism, sees what goes on at the front gates when she’s behind the desk at the front of the gym. “A guy in a raccoon outfit came in and wouldn’t tell us who he was,” she said. She also had a story about gym pranks where “guys like to put the heavy weights, like 100-pound weights, where the 10-pound weights should go so the girls can’t pick them up.” O’Brien even saw a guy rush into the gym and jump over the gates and when employees tried to stop him he said he just needed to get his friend’s keys. “Security tried to get him and he knocked over the lockers, then ran into a plant and jumped back over the gates.”
So I guess the gym isn’t just for working out. It’s home to shenanigans and funny moments, too.