Students interested in enrolling in RecSports fitness classes this semester can take advantage of the "Try It! You'll Like It!" trial period, in which all fitness classes are available for free until August 30, Fitness and Instructional Program Coordinator Shellie Dodd-Bell said.
"This way, they can determine if the class is really the right one for them before they spend the money," Dodd-Bell said. "The participant has the opportunity to check out different instructors, time slots and different classes to see what will work best for their schedule and their fitness needs."
RecSports offers wide variety of fitness classes, including aerobic classes like Cardio Boot Camp, muscle toning classes like Body Sculpt and mind and body classes like Pilates and Yoga, Dodd-Bell said.
Graduate student Anne McGinness, who tried a yoga class Tuesday and is planning to sign up, said that she wouldn't have signed up if there had not been a trial period.
"I probably wouldn't have signed up for it otherwise because I had a bad experience last semester where I wasn't motivated by the teacher and I ended up not signing up," she said. "I think it's essential to have the trial period."
McGinness is more enthusiastic about the class she took Tuesday.
"I really enjoyed it," McGinness said of her trial class. "It was a perfect mix between being a good introduction class where you ease into things and doing things that are also challenging to you at the same time. It made me think, oh wow, I really do need to take this class," she said.
Dodd-Bell said the trial classes are generally very popular.
"The trial classes are always at capacity, so I always recommend people get there early," Dodd-Bell said.
Instructor Judy Conway agreed and said her Monday night Body Sculpt class was more crowded than her regular classes during the semester. She that said it was also more laid back and relaxed.
"I think what's really nice about it is it groups all types of people," Conway said. "It's fun because you get to meet a lot of people and are people of all abilities come ... in a fun, open environment. It's very open and inviting," she said. '
The trial period, which RecSports has conducted since Fall 2007, not only benefits the students, but also RecSports, Dodd-Bell said.
"For RecSports, this helps us to get people into the right classes and cut back on the number of refunds given," Dodd-Bell said.
The classes are offered throughout the week at different time slots. Although the general fitness schedule hasn't changed, RecSports is now offering more classes like Prenatal Yoga and fencing this year, Dodd-Bell said.
Dodd-Bell said the fitness classes are always in high demand, with Yoga and Pilates being the most popular.
"However, we do keep track of participation and class waiting lists to try to accommodate as many people as we safely can.
Student interested in taking RecSports classes can begin signing up August 27 at 7:30 a.m. using the online registration system, RecRegister. Major credit cards are accepted, Dodd-Bell said.
If students want to pay with cash or check, they can come to the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center Front Desk, she said.
