Name: Brooke Dragon
Hometown: Prospect
Major: Nutrition, graduated in May 2015
Last week, Brooke helped us write the Beginner’s Guide to BodyWise.
SNV: How did you get involved with the program?
BD: I transferred to the main campus my sophomore year. I lived in Garrigus, and had been teaching Zumba classes all throughout high school. Being so close to BodyWise’s old location in Putnam, I had taken the classes offered during my first semester at Storrs. When they had auditions in the Spring for Zumba, I tried out! I loved Bodywise so it was great to be able to work for two years as an instructor. (Brooke is certified to teach every class in the program besides yoga.)
SNV: How did you become the BodyWise intern after graduating, and how was the transition?
BD: I had plans after graduation that fell through, and I ended up receiving an email saying that the BodyWise position opened. I am a firm believer that what’s meant to be will happen, and this just fell into place perfectly. I had my interview, and knew it was the right fit. I love my job because BodyWise was the fun part of college, so being able to get paid to continue to be apart of the program is awesome. I still teach a few times a week, which allows me do what I love, and originally interested me in BodyWise. It’s my first year as an intern for student recreation. I have incredible bosses, coworkers and trainers on the BodyWise team. It was a weird transition at first to go from a trainer to the intern. My peers and I were really close, and then I became their boss. We all respect each other so highly that it worked out just fine!
SNV: Can you fill me in about BodyWise’s history?
BD: BodyWise has been around for a very long time, but most people know its most recent home in Putnam. It was there for ten years with two studios, which were converted from old classrooms. Last summer we had to leave Putnam because they were making renovations, and for a while we didn’t know where we would be. We knew that BodyWise couldn’t stop because it had a positive presence in the UConn community. We ended up finding a spot in the Student Recreation Facility. We are a program within student recreation so the placement made sense.
SNV: What are BodyWise’s goals within the UConn community?
BD: Here at BodyWise, we stress the fact that the program is meant to be inclusive. We want everyone to feel comfortable. The instructors have extensive training to cater to every need- injury, disability, if you don’t feel comfortable with the specific work out, beginner, or advanced- they can modify the workout to fit you best! Our focus is performance based. We know that the way you look does not show your fitness status, there are multiple body types for a reason. We want to encourage people to be healthy and happy in an accessible way.
SNV: What are your dreams for the program?
BD: I would love to see the program expand. We will be moving into the new student recreation facility in the Spring of 2019. To put it into perspective- the freshman class will be able to see the new facility in their last semester. We have PACK, which is a group training program. It consists of six people who meet twice a week with the same coach for ten weeks. The PACK program group do workouts with a coach who knows each person’s individual fitness goals and their level of ability. This set up really allows the group to bond and work together to reach their fitness goals. We have a pre- and post-assessment test so the participants can see how far they’ve come from the start of the program. It would be incredible to see this program grow, and with the new location this will be easier. We also want to keep the excitement and passion for BodyWise alive with the community and our trainers. BodyWise is a great way to ensure you’ll get the workout you signed up for, and we want to continue to help students achieve their goals.
SNV: What are your goals for your future?
BD: I would love to stay here at UConn’s recreation center. Every aspect of my job is interesting and I could not have asked for anything better. (We joked about how Brooke #BleedsBlue and always will.) I want to continue to grow into a more professional, fitness managerial role because this is an aspect of fitness I truly enjoy. Right now I am managing 30-35 employees, and they are all an incredible staff. In any capacity though, staying in a campus recreation job would be ideal.