To the Editor:
I read the article entitled "Inferior athletic facilities frustrate Dartmouth students" (The Dartmouth, Feb. 14) with great anticipation. As a coach of track and cross-country and someone who works in ancient Alumni Gym, I was very interested in what the article would describe.
I was very surprised to see that the article focused on the Kresge Fitness Center, easily the most modern facility in the Alumni Gym/Berry Center complex. The article then described the unhappiness of many students with the limited number of fitness machines that were available.
As someone who works out on a virtually daily basis through running, I can appreciate the enthusiasm and desire of Dartmouth's students to exercise. I think that everyone at the college should be supportive of that goal.
My concern, however, is that students are allowing themselves to be trapped into thinking that they need to reserve time on a complex machine to get in some exercise. Students that attend urban colleges and universities might be forced into fitness centers due to a lack of alternatives. That is certainly not the case at Dartmouth.
Why would someone jog on a treadmill indoors when they can run through Pine Park, around Occom Pond or the Rip Road loop? Why would someone ride an exercise bike indoors, when that person can mountain bike on Oak Hill or explore the country roads around Hanover? Why would someone want to use an indoor rowing machine when can get out on the Connecticut River in a canoe or kayak? Why would someone want to get on an indoor stairmaster when they can hike the Appalachian Trail?
Dartmouth's location in the Upper Valley and the fantastic environment that we live in is one of the college's biggest strengths. I am confident that once students try some alternatives to the fitness center, they will enjoy the experience.
There is no doubt that many athletic facilities at Dartmouth are old, inadequate and overused. And we need to focus the college's resources on those areas.
