Prompt 1

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.