New workout center to open in early December

By Frank Krolicki

With the second phase of construction at the Intramural Physical Education Building expected to begin early next semester, University students may find a workout alternative at “refinery,” a fitness club in Champaign scheduled to open in early December.

The club, to be located at 2302 W. John St., will feature 56 cardiovascular exercise machines, including 32 treadmills as well as 3,000 square feet of free weights, said Jason McClelland, refinery’s building supervisor and marketing coordinator.

“It will be unique to the area in that we have a brand new facility with the largest cardio area and personal viewing screens on the treadmills,” McClelland said.

Brenda Bowlin, membership adviser for refinery, said the personal viewing screens will allow patrons to individually watch television or DVDs or listen to CDs or MP3s while they work out.

“A lot of times, people don’t get motivated to exercise unless they can watch or listen to shows and music they like at the same time,” Bowlin said. “It will be a great feature, and I believe we’ll be the only ones in town to offer it.”

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Another unique feature of the club is that it will be open 24 hours a day on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, she said.

“Students have interesting schedules and can often find it difficult to set aside time to work out,” Bowlin said. “Here, if you want to come work out at one in the morning, that’s fine.”

She said the club will offer different membership rates, including regular, corporate, senior citizen and University students and staff.

“We are offering a special rate of $30 a month for students and staff who sign up in November,” Bowlin said.

She also mentioned that refinery will have no contracts, meaning patrons will not be required to sign up for any specific amount of time.

“Here, membership is on a month-to-month basis,” Bowlin said. “This is good for students – if you leave the University or no longer want to be a member, you won’t be locked into a year-long contract.”

According to McClelland, the club will open on Dec. 5, but is sponsoring a 5K run/walk and a dodgeball tournament to take place at the facility the day before. He said funds from the event would go to the American Cancer Society.

Rich Pociask, junior in applied life studies, said his fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa, teamed with refinery to organize the “You are the Target” dodgeball tournament. Pociask said anybody could register for the event.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’ll be giving out prizes and have co-ed teams,” he said. “It will be a great way to benefit the American Cancer Society and get the word out about the club.”

Pociask said he felt refinery would be an affordable resource for students.

“It sounds like students will get a really good deal – they have a lot of equipment and also a banquet hall, so it could also be a great place to hold events,” he said. “The only drawback is that it’s off campus.”

McClelland mentioned that students should find the club accessible because it is near campus and on the MTD bus route.

He said that in addition to the gym and banquet hall, refinery will include a juice bar, a supervised child activity center and steam rooms.

“We’ll also be offering group exercise classes, equipment orientations, fitness assessments and massage therapy,” McClelland said.

Bowlin said she hoped students would find refinery a viable fitness resource, especially in the wake of the University campus recreation renovations.

“Students are going to need a good place to work out,” she said. “We can help fulfill that need.”