overall collaborative project- final revision

8/14/2019 Overall Collaborative Project- Final Revision

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UNC CharlotteSeptember 2 - September 19, 2013

TAYLOR DOVE. DR. ASHYLN WILLIAMS. ENG 1102

An overview of the makeup of a fitness center including the location, the people thatmake it up, and the things that are important to them.

The SAC Fitness

Center


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Table of ContentsThe Figured World of Fitness ...................................... 1

Description of SAC Fitness ...................................... 1Layout Of SAC Fitness Center ................................ 3

Rules & Conventions ............................................... 4The People that Inhabit SAC ....................................... 5

Meet a UNCC Fitness Member ................................ 5"Sacred" Items & Objects ............................................ 6Communities in the Fitness Center ............................. 7

My Experience at SAC Fitness .................................... 8Observation Notes....................................................... 9

Observation 1 .................................................... 9-10

Observation 2 ................................................... 11-12Observation 3 ................................................... 13-14


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1 | S A C F i t n e s s C e n t e r

The Figured World of FitnessFiguredwor ld: place driven by socialization and made up of

people that behave in a certain way in response to the "culture" ofthat world. In a figured world there can be many different types of"actors" or personalities, and the actors can often be grouped intocategories.

A student fitness center is a world where UNC Charlotte collegestudents, faculty, and staff, come independently or in groups toimprove their health. Many activities can occur here depending on

the equipment one decides to use. The fitness center is like apainterscanvas with all the mediums one could possibly need, itis just up to the student to utilize these "mediums" to create whatthey desire. By "create what they desire" I mean attain their goalswhether they are to lose weight, maintain a healthy lifestyle,strengthen their muscles to ultimately creating the body theywant. When you go to the gym, commonly I believe the ratio ofmen to women is unequal, men being higher in frequency,however I do not think the gym is common to one type of person,

but instead a gym is filled with many people with common goals.Goal commonality is what creates the discourse communities in afitness center.

Layout of the SAC Fitness Center

C A R D I O V A S C U L A R M A C H I N E S E C T I O N

S T R E N G T H M A C H I N E S E C T I O N

Right Side of

Weightlifting SectionLeft Side of

Weightlifting

Section

Front

Desk

Office

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Description of SACFitness

As you walk into the SACFitness Center, youimmediately come to acheck-in desk (see Figure1) where one or twoemployees are stationed.This is where members

give their student IDs ormembership cards to bechecked-in" to the gym.

Overall, there are threemain divisions in thegym based onequipment: free

weights, strengthmachines, andcardiovascularequipment.

The first section youenter is the FreeWeight Section, which

is divided into left andright subsections.

The left side (see Figure2) includes mostlydumbbells and benches,while the right side (seeFigure 3) includes bench

presses, squat racks,and a multipurpose rack.Along each wall of thegym, except for the very

Figure 1. Front Desk

Figure 2. Left Side of Free Weight Section

Figure 3. Right Side of Free Weight Section


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back wall are mirrors. These aidmembers in performing thecorrect form during exercises.

There is one water fountain in thefitness center, and two vendingmachines with drinks.

The second section is theStrength Machine section (seeFigure 4). This includes machinessuch as the leg press, shoulder

press hamstring curl. Thesemachines work to help membersincrease their muscular strength,and provide more control to theperformer. They are located in aline after the free weight section.

The third and final

section is theCardiovascularEquipmentsection(see Figure 5),which includestreadmills, ellipticalmachines, bikes,and rowingmachines. This

section is located inthe back of the gym,farthest away fromthe entrance (frontdesk).

Figure 4. Strength Machine Section

Figure 3. Cardiovascular Equipment Section


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Rules & ConventionsRules unique to SAC Fitness Center are that you must be amember of UNC Charlotte in order to join. Otherwise you must bea friend or family member of a UNCC member. Also, you mustwear a shirt that has sleeves. The gym is open during the Fall andSpring semesters Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6AM -11PM; Tuesday and Thursday from 7AM - 11PM; Saturday andSunday 12PM-11PM.

In many public places, sweating profusely, poor odor, loud music,and loud grunting are actions that are unacceptable and out of thenorm. However, in a fitness center, these behaviors areaccepted. Intolerable actions in a gym would be disrespectingothers, not cleaning equipment after use, wearing inappropriateattire, and improper use of equipment. Inappropriate attire wouldbe sleeveless tops, skirts, dress pants, shoes that are not closetoed, or large jewelry.

In a fitness center, there is a certain type of "work-out etiquette"and "work-out respect." "Work-out etiquette" is being responsibleand respectful of other students in the gym. For example, washingdown equipment after you use it, asking to see if someone isfinished with a piece of equipment before you use it, askingsomeone for help if you do not know how to use certainequipment. "Work-out respect" is admiring others in the gym forsomething they perform that you find to be profound. In gyms,

there is a certain feeling of wanting others to do well around you.However, there is also competition present in a gym with thephilosophy of trying to "out do" a peer with the goal of improvingyourself.

Communication in a gym is predominately composed ofencouraging or motivating others, asking for help or guidance inperforming an exercise, and communicating to staff issues or

questions. Socialization would be meeting fellow gym members,or running into friends and talking while at the gym.


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The People that Inhabit SAC FitnessActor: a person, or member of the figured world, that takes on a

certain role in the figured world and performs actions in responseto their surroundings.

Staff Members: Responsible for verifying that the peoplecoming into the SAC Fitness Center are legitimatemembers. Duties involve assisting members who needhelp, cleaning equipment, providing towels and t-shirts forthose who need them, and making sure all members are

following the rules. Student Members: These are active students at UNCC

that come to the gym to be physically active. Their level offocus and level of experience varies per student.

Faculty and Staff Members: These are professors andother staff on UNCC Campus that come to the fitnesscenter to work out.

Guest Members: These are people that are friend orfamily to a UNCC Fitness Member. They have a desire toaccompany their friend/family member to the gym. Theymust pay $5 to get a guest pass that will last them 1 day.

Meet a UNCC Fitness MemberClick on link below! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolzhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolzhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolzhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolzhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxUqCrS4js&list=HL1378931654&feature=mh_lolz


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"Sacred" Items & ObjectsArt i fact:an item or idea that "actors" value with high importance

and that drives their behavior, knowledge, confidence, andemotions

Water bottles: Water is imperative to one's ability toworkout. Many members of the fitness center either bringwater bottles, water jugs, or plastic water bottles to fill atthe water station, or they use the water fountain. Theyuse the water to stay hydrated throughout their workout.

Headphones and music playing device: Membersseem to listen to music as they workout for variouspurposes. Music helps fitness center members to becomemore motivated by pumping them up which in turn helpsthem achieve a better workout. Others use the music tomake their workout more enjoyable. Examples of thesedevices would be an iPod or a cell phone.

Towel: Members seem to use thesetowels as a tool to get rid of sweat from

their face, eyes, and other parts of thebody. This is important to equipmentuse to make sure hands do not slip,and also is a convenient serviceoffered by SAC Fitness Center.

Sanitation wipes: No one enjoysusing a piece of equipment thatcontains bodily fluids on it. Not only is this

a danger to ones health, but it also is just plain rightdisgusting. Thus, sanitation wipes are absolutelyessential to the functionality of a gym. If someone doesnot wipe down their equipment, they are creating ahazard to other members and may cause someone tostop working out, and in turn disturb the flow of the gym.


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Communities in the Fitness CenterDiscourse communi ty : a group of people that share common

ways of thinking, doing, and communicating.

(1) Employees and Staff of SAC Fitness Center: Thiscommunity is made up of students that work at SAC Fitness. Theyshare the responsibilities of serving gym members as well askeeping the gym clean and safe. They know eachother andconstantly interact with eachother because they are co-workers.Furthermore, they share a great knowledge of fitness.

(2) Adult Members: These are older members who have adifferent level of fitness than most student members. One wouldsay they have a fitness level lower than most student membersbecause of their age.

(3) Student Members: This community makes of the majority ofall members at the Fitness Center. Most of them are younger and

have a high potential level of fitness. Many of them are friendsoutside of the gym and respect their peers inside of the gym.

(4) Members going to fitness center to maintain fitness &health: Of all members, these members are at a fitness level theyare happy with. They go to the gym to continue maintaining thislevel of fitness.

(5) Members going to fitness center to get into better shape:These members are at a fitness level they are not necessarilyhappy with.They are going to the gym to improve themselves.Fitness levels vary at this point. Some members may be very fitand are striving to reach higher goals, while others may be unfitbut are trying to work hard to improve themselves. Either way, thisgroup is characterized by determination.

(6) Members going to fitness center as a social event: Somemembers go to the gym to talk and interact with others. While


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working out is important to them, they treat their time at the gymas an opportunity to socialize with others.

My Experience at SACAs a fitness member at UNCC SAC Fitness Center, Ihave had a very enjoyable experience. I usually

always go to the gym with one of my friends (girl orguy) and use them as a work out partner. I find

this helps motivate me to go and to work outharder when I am at the Fitness Center. I

occasionally run into friends at the SAC FitnessCenter, but I wouldn't call my trips to the gym a

"social event." I would put myself in the discoursecommunity of working out to lose weight and get into

shape. Sacred items to me are definitely a water bottleand sometimes a music playing device. I find that I am

typically one of the few girls that uses the Free Weight Section ofthe Fitness Center. While I feel confident in my use of weights, Ifeel that before I gained knowledge about weight training, going

into the free weight section was very intimidating. This was due tothe fact that the section is usually completely filled with males,and there was a fear present within me that I would be judged.Furthermore, I failed to realize the importance of including weighttraining in your daily workout regardless of gender.


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Observation NotesOBSERVATION 1 - EVENING

Wednesday, September 4, 20137:20pm - 7:50pm

7:20 - The fitness center is not packed. One male employee sitsat check-in desk and scans people in by taking their 49er ID. Heis talking to one of the fitness class instructors (blonde-haired, fitwoman). He seems to be an older student with tan skin and

darker hair. His uniform is a green polo

shirt.

7:20(continued) - When a visitor walks in,there is a white board (see Figure 6.) thatgives the gym hours and says, "If you'renot sleevin, you're leavin!!!"This slogan isan attempt to communicate, and reinforcethe rule that everyone that works out in the

gym must be wearing a sleeved shirt.Several groups of 2+ boys are liftingtogether. A few boys are liftingindependently. Two boys working outindependently are sharing the same rack.Every girl is on a cardio machine or doing

exercises on the floor.

7:23 - Two girls go to the squat rack and begin a series of squats.These are the only girls doing free weights. They seem to betaking their workout seriously.

7:31 A social interactions occurs between a boy and group ofboys. They appear to be friends that just noticed each other at thegym. A second employee arrives and sits at the check-in deskwith male employee. She appears to be a female student with

blonde hair.

7:35 - Gym becomes more packed to the point that every cardiomachine is being used. All females are on cardio machines

Figure 6. Whiteboard


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except for one male. Cardio machines include: treadmills,elliptical, row machines, stair climbers, stair steppers, andstationary bikes. Within a 5-minute period, several males weigh

themselves on the scale, which is located in the corner of gym.

7:40 - Girls enter the fitness center in a group of 2 and head tocardio area. A male then enters the center independently. Themale puts his belongings down in a cubicle and begins to do legexercises on a strength machine.

7:45 - One female works out with several males in the free weight

section. She seems to be with a group of friends and they aresocializing with each other as they work out. Males are teachingfemales different exercises using the weights.

7:50 - Gym is still consistently packed. No UNCC faculty and staffare working out; only people exercising appear to be students.

Observation 1 Summary: Patterns that I seemed to notice werethat females dominantly occupied cardio machines while malesdominated free weight and weight machines. I also noticed thatwhen a student exercised independently it was typically a male.Females seemed to come in pairs or groups of 3. Males tended towork collaboratively when they were using the bench press. WhenI observed people weighing themselves, I did not see any femalesuse the scale, only males. Males tended to workout with malesand females tended to workout with females. The employees

seemed relatively stagnant and just checked people in. I didn'tnotice them going to help people, or asking if others neededassistance.


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OBSERVATION 2 - LATE NIGHTSaturday, September 7, 2013

10:20pm - 10:50pm

10:20 - The fitness center is "deserted" in a sense as only 10-15people are working out. Only one male employee is on duty andhe sits at check-in desk and scans people in. Upbeat music isplaying around fitness center. In this case the music falls withinthe "rock and roll" genre.

10:22 - Only 2 girls are in the gym at the time. Both are working

out with a male partner. In the first pair, the male is instructing thefemale how to do different exercises. Seems to be a social eventin a sense. The second pair seems to be working outindependently while "spotting" each other. Spotting is standingnear the person doing the exercises being ready to assist them ifthey cannot handle the amount of weight they are using. Bothpairs of members are located in the free weight section.

10:29 - Two males are working out together. They seem to betaking turns on different strength machines. All others except for"male-female duos" are working out independently. All membersseem to be focused. Several members are listening to music oniPods.

10:35 - Older student male walks in with what seems to be hisyounger brother (middle/high school). They walk over to the

bench press and the older brother begins to teach the little brotherhow to lift properly and takes him through a set of exercises.

10:37 - One male member approaches the front desk and asksfor a towel. Employee hands him a small gray towel and thefitness member uses the towel to wipe sweat from his face andneck.

10:41 - One male using the squat rack looks in the mirror as if heis analyzing his form. As he goes to squat for a second time, he


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readjusts his back sticking his hips out farther. He seems to betrying to perfect his form.

10:50 - Gym is very empty. Only about 7 members remain.

Observation 2 Summary: Overall, the gym seems to be muchless packed on a Saturday night. Maybe this is due to socialevents going on and commuting students not having to be oncampus. With less people in the fitness center, there seems to beless communication between fitness center members. Those whoare at the gym seem very focused and were in either very good

shape or working out diligently in an effort to get into shape. Thefree weight section of the gym was the section most frequentlyused. There was only one staff member on duty.


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OBSERVATION 3 - MORNING OBSERVATIONTuesday, September 9, 2013

6:10am - 6:40am

6:10 - Not very many people are in the gym yet (10-15 people).Some adults are working out. These adults could possibly beUNCC faculty and staff or family members of staff. Most peopleare using strength machines. One staff member is on duty and iswalking around being sure that everything is set up for the day.

6:12 - Staff member returns back to front desk and stays on duty

to check fitness members in.

6:20 - Gym seems to be filled with mostly female students andtwo adults. The members main focus still seems to be on cardiomachines, and strength machines. There is rarely anyone in thefree weight section of the gym. All members are working outindependently.

6:30: More members are in the gym now. Not as packed as the"Observation 1: Evening", but is getting there. More males havearrived now. Ratio of males to females is pretty equivalent now.

6:33 -A line builds up at the water fountain as several students fillup water and take sips at the fountain. Most people are stillworking out independently except for a pair of girls who are next

to each other on an elliptical.

6:37 - Several fitness members grab a mat, which is hanging onthe left most wall, and begin doing abdominal exercises on thegym floor. They do this independently. After they finish with theirmats they take a sanitation wipe and wipe down their mats beforehanging them back up. This sanitation routine seems common forall equipment that fitness members use.

6:40 The gym is getting more packed as time goes on. There isstill one employee. More pairs of fitness members walk in. While


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cardio machines seem to be dominated in use, several peopleuse the free weight section.

Observation 3 Summary: It seems that in the early mornings,some adults work out at the SAC fitness center. Maybe this isbecause they come before the classes they have to teach beginor before their work shift begins. Oddly, more females seemed tobe in the fitness center, and cardio machines seemed to be themost popular machine used. I noticed the etiquette of memberscleaning the equipment after they were done using it. There wasvery little communication or socialization. Most members seemed

to be working out independently and were focus


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