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It鈥檚 the Friday afternoon before spring break, and Caleb Cejka 鈥�17, 鈥�18G has a small corner of the to himself. That鈥檚 a plus. His intense workout鈥攈e just followed up a set of ropes exercises with a run between the rec center鈥檚 first and second floors鈥攔equires the sort of room that just wasn鈥檛 available in the building until this year.

鈥淚t was packed all the time,鈥� Cejka says. 鈥淧eople were always fighting for space before.鈥�

Though the rec center hums with activity鈥攁 four-on-four basketball game is in progress on one court, a pair of students are tackling the bouldering wall and solo exercisers are stationed at various machines鈥攖here鈥檚 plenty of room for everyone. After almost two years of work, the Hamel Rec Center鈥檚 expansion officially debuted in January, with an additional 12,000-square feet of space, a large multi-activity court, an expanded bouldering wall and a one-tenth-of-a-mile suspended track, among other improvements.

鈥淭he goal for the project was, depending on the type of workout someone wants to do each day, they鈥檒l find a place to feel comfortable in,鈥� says Stacey Hall, director of campus recreation. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very accessible space.鈥�

The expansion features a dedicated stationary cycling room, more fitness areas and a dedicated space for the university鈥檚 Health Services department, including a demonstration kitchen/classroom area. Hall says students have been asking for expanded rec facilities since the Hamel Rec Center first opened in 1995.

According to Hall, a survey of the Class of 2014 conducted by Campus Recreation found that with every visit a student makes to the Rec Center, the odds that they would return to campus the following year, and graduate within four years, increased. 鈥淚t allows us to look at the overall wellness component of everyone鈥檚 life, not just physical fitness,鈥� she says.

For Cejka, the improvements are already apparent. 鈥淏efore, (the facility) was kind of rudimentary,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut now it鈥檚 much more dynamic. Whatever you鈥檙e looking for, you can get it all here.鈥�

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