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Rec Center to offer new “Twerking for Fitness” course Class aims to turn party move into pound burner
| Sept 11, 2013
Rear End
The Saber | Columbus State University
Leader of the 3rd Street Saints
Black Fission
This fall, the Student Recreation Center plans to unveil a new, controversial fitness class for students, offered along current favorites like Zumba, Cougar Boot Camp, and yoga. Twerking for Fitness will now be offered at the Rec Center every Monday and Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in Movement Room A. The class will be a 30 minute, fast-paced and rigorous course, designed to push the lower body and core to the limit. Participants will dance to a mixture of hip-hop, pop, reggaeton and dubstep. When asked about the inspiration for the course, Assistant Director for Adventure & Intramural Recreation Rick Cravens believed that the course was necessary. “We do our best to create fitness courses that interest a wide range of students and fit their needs,” Cravens explained. “Twerking for Fitness is a unique way to get students active and physically fit.” The act of twerking has come under scrutiny recently after former child star Miley Cyrus caused confusion and nightmares among onlookers young and old by twerking at the MTV Video Music Awards. This association has caused some on campus to be apprehensive about seeing it brought to CSU. Brandon Short, a senior, was very outspoken about the new course, believing that “the class will only cause a distraction. Girls already walk around campus dressed like they’re headed to the club after class. Now they can go to Club Rec and practice for free. If Campus Recreation wants to serve the students, they need a “Notetaking for Fitness” or something.” Short seems to be in the minority, however, as most students, especially women, are excited for this course’s first lesson. English Literature junior Tom Ingram supports the new class. “If we’re going to run our schools like a business, then we have to keep up with the demands of the consumers,” Ingram said, “and the last thing we want is for Georgia Southern or some other school to beat us to the punch.” Some members of the administration are behind those students as well. “I think it’s important that we provide a safe environment for women to dance how they like,” Sr. Director of Student Engagement Kimberly McElveen Mullen emphasized. “Columbus nightclubs are rife with men planning to prey on young ladies who are just trying to have a good time. In a controlled setting like the Rec, the girls can dance freely and twerk to their heart’s content.” Franchesca Renfroe, a member of the Residence Housing Association, is very pumped about the new class, particularly because she now has a place where she can “twerk as much as I like in whatever manner I wish without fear of being judged.” Confusion also existed about the actual fitness value of twerking, but Saber Exercise Guru Eric Poorman had nothing but rave reviews, noting the “endurance, core strength, and gluteus maximus muscle work involved.” No matter your opinion on the idea, it seems that plenty will be lined up ready for the first class on Sept. 16.