{"id":17747,"date":"2024-08-30T08:53:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T12:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/?p=17747"},"modified":"2024-09-03T09:22:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T13:22:04","slug":"elizabethtown-colleges-dynamic-bowers-center-for-sports-fitness-and-well-being-celebrates-fifth-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2024\/08\/30\/elizabethtown-colleges-dynamic-bowers-center-for-sports-fitness-and-well-being-celebrates-fifth-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabethtown College\u2019s Dynamic Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being Celebrates Fifth Anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elizabethtown College\u2019s Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being<\/a> is celebrating its fifth anniversary serving the campus community. Throughout its five years as a dynamic campus hub, the state-of-the-art facility has made a transformative impact through innovative programming and offerings that have improved the health and well-being of the Etown campus and surrounding community.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal has always been to cultivate a centralized hub of health and well-being through the Bower Center and our programming,\u201d Elizabethtown College Senior Director for Student Involvement and Well-Being, Whitney Crull said. \u201cWe have worked hard over the last five years to offer a space for all of our students and employees to feel welcome and provide a sense of comfort and community whether that\u2019s through our cooking classes, fitness activities, intramural sports, or social areas.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The building, opened in 2019, was named in honor of remarkable supporters of the College, Kenneth L. ’59 H’99 and Rosalie E. ’58 Bowers and has received national recognition by being awarded the prestigious<\/span> Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification<\/span><\/a> 2021 and being named a<\/span> National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Outstanding Facility Award Recipient in 2022<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite not operating at full capacity for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bowers Center has achieved impressive feats during its five years on campus, including 331,392 total building check-ins from students, employees, and local community members.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main floor of the Center features a sprawling and welcoming lower lounge area that\u2019s been used to greet more than 5,000 tours of prospective students and their families, with the facility hosting more than 4,500 future Blue Jays during admissions events such as Open Houses and Accepted Student Days. The lounge leads back to an equipment rental desk, which has been utilized by campus community members over 7,000 times to check out sports equipment, bikes, yard games, and more.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A versatile fieldhouse is also on the main floor of the Bowers Center, featuring an indoor track and courts. It\u2019s been home to 3,799 intramural participants with 2,211 games played and 774 teams registered for 27 different intramural programs. It\u2019s also home to Etown\u2019s Indoor Track team and has served as an ideal practice location for many Blue Jay athletic teams. It\u2019s also the largest indoor event space on campus and has hosted large-scale events including Accepted Student Days, Convocation, and student activity fairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

The state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen has hosted more than 150 sessions of preparing food for a live audience. It also hosted events like the annual international student dinner. Outside of the demonstration kitchen is the Fresh Nest, a student favorite for healthful eating with popular offerings such as smoothies and ramen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second floor is home to a sprawling fitness center with 90 pieces of fitness equipment used daily by students and faculty with<\/span>\u00a0221,294 fitness center check-ins over the last five years. Patrons can rent out fitness equipment, with 5,641 fitness equipment checkouts. A large group fitness room has hosted 14,330 group fitness participants across 50 unique fitness classes since the building\u2019s opening.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bowers Center has also recently added a personal training program available to the College community, with 127 total personal training sessions completed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Directly outside of the fitness center is The Well, a one-stop shop for wellness promotion. More than 2,000 students have visited The Well to ask questions, and to pick up important health and wellness supplies that are free for Etown students<\/span>.<\/span> Blue Jays can also utilize The Well space to participate in wellness-related programming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the course of five years, the Bower Center has offered more than 440 wellness programs for over 12,000 health promotion participants. Not only does it serve the Etown community by providing health promotion and fitness opportunities, but it also serves as a hub of student employment as more than 250 students have staffed the Bowers Center<\/span> and its programs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bowers Center has delivered opportunities to our students that extend beyond sports and fitness,\u201d Crull said. \u201cThe building and services provided are essential to the overall health and well-being of our campus community. There truly is something for everyone here!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t