Trying to find a gym with the right hours, equipment and space to exercise is not always easy. The Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center is a popular choice for working out, but some students find it too crowded. There are options for students looking for places to work out other than the recreation center.

Gayla Fields, Bucklin senior, has worked at the Community Building, 115 W. 11th St., for 11 months. Fields said that she did not see a lot of students use the Community Building, a free community center, but that some came to play basketball sometimes.

“I think a lot of people don’t actually know about the community center,” Fields said. “But there’s also less equipment here than the student Rec Center.”

Fields said that she used to use the Ambler recreation center once in a while, but did not go regularly. She now pays for membership to work out with Maximus Fitness and Wellness, 2339 Iowa Street.

“I’d rather spend money on membership at a gym and have new equipment readily available than wait 30 minutes for a treadmill,” Fields said.

Morgan Norwood, Lawrence senior, has worked at the Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W 27th Street, for 4.5 years. She said many University students used their facilities.

“Mostly, they work out in the gym because it’s a lot less crowded than the KU Rec Center,” Norwood said.

Norwood said it was easier for students living near Holcom Park to go there instead of traveling all the way to the recreation center. She said it was also more convenient for students who were not enrolled in summer classes, because they would have to pay to use the recreation center, while Holcom Park is free.

Brittany Morin-Mezzadri, Bellingham, Mass., graduate student, uses the Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive. She said she used to use the Robinson Center pool, but spent so much time on campus for schoolwork that she did not want to spend any more time there working out.

“You get to be not a KU student here,” Morin-Mezzadri said. “It’s a nice swimming environment. There’s way more hours than Robinson, you can come here at 5 a.m. or 8 p.m.”

Morin-Mezzadri also said the aquatic center was open all day and on weekends, while Robinson was only open two hours certain days.

Drew Schelar, Lawrence junior, is working at the aquatic center for the first time this summer. It costs $4 for a day pass at the aquatic center, $20 for a 30-day pass, or $162 for a one-year pass. Schelar said he went there to swim three or four times a week, and enjoyed the many lanes available in the center.

“It’s a good facility to work at,” Schelar said. “The KU Rec Center is all right, but it could use some renovations.”

Schelar said that the Indoor Aquatic Center was a newer facility, but that only a handful of students used it during the summer.

Morin-Mezzadri said her apartment complex had a gym, but said that there was hardly any equipment to use and that it was a small, uncomfortable space.

She said the University facilities were convenient because they were free for students and had lots of equipment.

“I love the KU rec centers,” Morin-Mezzadri said. “There at tons of things to do there.”

— — Edited by Adam Schoof