Kinetix grand opening a big success

By Laurie Wang
Posted September 18, 2007

"Kinetix Fitness and Wellness Centre is now officially open!" declared Paul Heinrich, executive director and CFO for the Faculty of Medicine, as he snipped a jump rope, filling in for the usual requisition ribbon.

More than 150 people participated in Kinetix's grand opening event on Sept. 10, 2007. Many door prizes were given away, including free towel service for a year, annual memberships to Kinetix, yoga class passes, gift certificates to the Outdoor Centre and various fitness and stability equipment.

Students, faculty and staff enjoyed free admission to the work-out facility, refreshments, free gift packages and cake. Many also signed up for annual memberships.

"I signed up today! Why would you not? We invest in everything else in our lives, why not invest in health?" says Delores Atkinson, campus security, Faculty of Medicine.

Dedicated to daily physical activity and exercise, Atkinson chose Kinetix out of all the fitness facilities available in Calgary.

"It's cheaper than other places and I have the option of going during my work day because of the convenient location," she says. "And the staff are truly wonderful. They're encouraging, and that's important."

Kinetix Supervisor Chris Gordon says members have increased since the beginning of summer.

"Bit by bit over the summer and since September came along, we've seen a jump in memberships," he says. "It's great to have this grand opening to let more people know about the fitness centre. Because many were away this summer, it seemed more fitting to have the grand opening event in September," he adds.

Kinetix has started "Healthopoly," a new program to get students, faculty and staff motivated to work out and stay active.

"Basically we track how much you work out and how often you get your heart rate up, and as you accumulate more hours, you move forward on the board," Gordon explains. "And we award progress. You can win prizes as you move forward in the Healthopoly game."

Gordon's hope for the future is for more people at the Foothills complex to take advantage of the Kinetix Fitness and Wellness Centre.

"If we sold out of memberships, it'd be a great indication that health and physical activity are important to people," he smiles.

In his grand opening speech, Heinrich thanked Dr. David Severson, chair of the Retail and Wellness Task Force, for his tremendous support in pushing the Kinetix project forward. He also thanked Dr. Wayne Giles, dean, Faculty of Kinesiology and Mark Eckert, director, Campus Recreation, for their continuing commitment to this initiative.

"As an organization dedicated to health and wellness, a fitness centre is the perfect fit. This is what our faculty, staff and students wanted, and we have provided it for them," Heinrich says.

As for Delores Atkinson, staying active is not only vital for her health, but also for her job. "I work in security you see, so if I have to go after someone, it's important to be strong," she chuckles.

To learn more about Kinetix, the Healthopoly program and new fitness classes for the fall, visit http://www.ucalgary.ca/kinetix.