Finding funding for fitness
- Details
- Published on Thursday, June 25, 2015
By Sheila Runions
Banner Staff
When the current Rivers Collegiate Institute (RCI) principal Mike Klassen was RCI’s gym teacher (four years ago), he had a dream to have a fitness area in the school. Now that a computer room is unnecessary (because each student is supplied their own) he worked with current gym teacher Taryn Luhowy to make this dream a reality.
“Because we had no gym, the plan really heated up in October,” says Luhowy. “With the hockey academy and all the dry land training they do, we fast-tracked this. Donna Morken helped us apply for grants and we pooled the money to buy things as the resources allowed. In the beginning of November, we had some use in the room.”
Hockey Skills Academy teacher Bruce Helgason was instrumental in securing old equipment from Virden, which was donated to the high school for free by Tundra Oil and Gas Fitness Co-operative. Helgason and Luhowy are the primary fitness instructors for students, though assistance has been offered by teachers Shauna Price (who was an amateur weightlifter before she began her teaching career) and Deanna Peyachew (who is a long distance runner, competing in the Boston marathon) and Riverdale Recreation manager Navi Gill.
“We’re not certified instructors so we draw on the experience and expertise of those around us; we continue to take professional development training sessions,” says Luhowy.
Though the first few pieces of equipment arrived in November, the majority have been added throughout the school year and have now amassed such a volume that a second room (south of the former computer lab) is required to house it all. One room is for cardiovascular workouts and the other for strength training. The cardio room has three treadmills, two elipticals, two stationary bikes, a rowing machine, a speed bag (boxing) and a heavy bag. The weight room contains a universal gym, squat rack, hack squat machine, hyper extension machine and shelves of kettle balls, dumbbells, stability balls and assorted rods for the four weightlifting benches. The weight room is floored with recycled rubber mats while the cardio room only has mats under the machines; Luhowy is hoping more grant money will be received to floor that entire 15- by 25-foot room. In total, the workout space is nearly 1,500 square feet, all of which is under video surveillance.
As reported in last week’s Rivers Banner in the school column, these fitness rooms are open to the public; however, Luhowy says, “Guidelines for community use are still vague. Community members are welcome to use the fitness room as long as a student asks a staff member in advance, or as long as a staff member or custodian are present in the building. Typically, this would be from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and after school until 6 p.m. or on administration days when classes are not in session.”
Since decades have passed since many readers have been a student, one may now wonder if fitness classes are part of the school’s teaching schedule, much like geography and arithmetic. Luhowy admitted those enrolled in the hockey program “have the most structured time in here, though students in phsy-ed classes have the option of performing personal fitness plans, pre-approved by their teacher, if gym is a sport they can’t manage. We have kids coming in here doing online yoga or dancing to videos which play on the smart board — the fitness room really opens up student options for physical activity. They may not always enjoy the activity we are doing in the gymnasium, so if they have fitness goals, they can be more productive in here instead.”
To date, $1,000 has been received from Tire Stewardship Manitoba (which paid for half of the flooring), $5,000 from Healthy Together Now and $9,000 from Manitoba Community Services Council.
