Nick Demas
Ms. Hoy
WRD 110
Bernard
M. Johnson Student Recreation Center
The
smell of sweat and the stomping of feet on the wooden basketball courts fill
the air of the entrance to the Bernard M. Johnson Student Recreation Center.
The Bernard M. Johnson Student Recreation Center, shortened to the Johnson
Center by many students and UK staff, is the go to spot for exercising for many
people on the university campus. The Johnson Center was completed in January
2003 and is located on the south campus, making it the go to gym for any
student living in one of the many residence halls on south campus.
The
first thing that many people notice about the Johnson Center is the sheer size
of the building. The path alone easily exceeds a hundred feet and is usually bustling
with people going to exercise or those who just finished an intense workout.
The entrance is an array of glass doors and windows, which shine like a star
when the sun strikes the surfaces just right. The building seems like a grand
place, even before a person walks in through the seemingly heaven-like gates. The
inside of the Johnson Center is just as busy as the Whitehall Classroom
Building on any weekday morning. At any given time there could be basketball
games, volleyball games, racquetball, Zumba classes, yoga classes, or even
people sprinting around the track on the second floor. The mixture of all these
elements coming together makes the atmosphere of the Johnson Center a
one-of-a-kind place. It may seem like madness for all of these elements to
combine in one space, but that could not be farther from the truth. There’s a
competitive spirit for the basketball, volleyball, and racquetball games, but
at there’s always encouragement for someone struggling to do one more bench
press, run another mile, or do an unbelievable yoga position.
Two things in particular caught my
eye during my first trip to the Johnson Center. The first was the sitting area
directly to the left of the doors as you walk in, and the other was the
rock-climbing wall. The sitting area seemed strange to me at first because I
would think people would come to work out, not to watch T.V. with their
friends. After asking around about the strange sitting area, it made me realize
that it was there to help create new friendships and provide a relaxation area
after an especially rough day at the gym. If two strangers had sat down to
watch a sports game after their workouts, they might be inclined to start
talking to each other and this could lead to a new friendship, or even rivalry
if they liked opposing teams, being created. The relaxation aspect of the
sitting area was a little more obvious. Imagine if you were too exhausted to
walk after your workout and your legs felt like Jell-O, you would be inclined
to take advantage of the sitting area so you can recover and be on your way
when you were feeling up to it. The sitting area was a very inviting place,
with its ample supply of chairs and huge T.V. hanging from the wall. Most
people think of the gym as an intimidating place, especially if they are new to
it, but this area would quickly erase that fear. The rock-climbing wall was one
of the more interesting things at the Johnson Center. I personally have never
attempted rock-climbing, but there was a crowd of people around the wall. The wall
seemed daunting at first, mostly because it was two stories high and I really
don’t like heights. The most interesting thing about it was that people were
encouraging their friends, who seemed absolutely petrified of the wall, to
climb to the very top. I even witnessed one girl who was shaking with fear as
she grabbed the first block to begin her long ascent to the top of the wall.
The look of pure happiness and her sense of achievement when she made it to the
top thought quickly made me forget of her well-deserved fear at the beginning. Many
people, including myself, thought of the gym as a place full of intimidation,
but the Johnson Center seems more like a giant community. Everyone was
welcoming to newcomers and veterans and was more than happy to show someone the
ropes or encourage that person to go the extra mile. When I left the colossal
Johnson Center, I realized just how inviting the place was and why it is easily
one of the most popular spots on campus.
