Jamie Martyn / Collegiate Times
He said:
It’s hard to complain about weather when Northern Virginia has more snow than an ’80s record executive meeting.
Perspective has never interfered with our generation’s whining, though, so I’ll play the role of the cranky columnist and moan about the icy windshields, the wind tunnel we call the Drillfield and the weeks on end of drab gray skies.
It’s downright depressing. If I wanted to go to the University of Michigan, I would have applied there.
Venturing out into this week’s freezing rain made me think of bears — the furry quadruped kind, not the furry Jay Cutler kind — and how good our mammalian cousins really have it.
Donning nature’s North Face would be enough for most mighty beasts, but those greedy bears also own the evolutionary trump card: three months of cozy hibernation.
My biggest regret is not living in a time when mankind has harnessed this ability. Skiing, snowball fights, my birthday — all beloved wintertime events I would skip in a heartbeat if offered a nap until April.
For now, we’re — wait for it — left out in the cold, and unlike those lucky bears, we can only spend so long lounging indoors before the need for non-sexual physical activity sets in.
Students with exercise-starved bodies brave chilled conditions to join the onslaught of self-conscious, newly minted sorority girls trekking to campus’ recreational mecca: McComas Hall.
Even its once disgracefully small size (for serving a campus of 25,000 students) can now cheerfully be described as less than adequate.
Every person has a unique exercise routine that defines his or her gym experience. In the interest of full disclosure: I’m a thoroughly mediocre pick-up basketball junkie. My high school friends taught me a sweet jump shot; other than that, I’m the guy who plays “energetic” defense and couldn’t run a pick-and-roll if Steve Nash were manning the point.
This distinct lack of talent has never fazed me. Even the most painful, turnover-laden games at McComas are a blast compared to the lifeless drudge through weekly class schedules.
I doubt I’m alone in feeling that way. Sure, there will always be a few bodybuilder types, but for the most part, guys go to the gym because it’s a great place to blow off steam.
This constitutes the kind of logical thought process that girls seem intent to fight tooth and nail. “If it makes sense, they won’t do it,” may be a bit extreme as a guideline to understanding the fairer sex, but sometimes the shoe fits. They complaining about ogling strangers while wearing skin-tight leggings, for instance, or get frustrated over our subpar mind-reading ability.
Along those lines, I have never seen a girl happy at the gym.
A version of this article appeared in the Jan 28 issue of the Collegiate Times.
Leave a comment 10 Comments Write a letter to the editor
All letters to the editor must include a name, e-mail, daytime phone number and affiliation to Virginia Tech. Affiliation includes: year and major for students; position and department for faculty and staff; current city for alumni and parents.
Try uphill wind sprints for a healthy feel and look. FMI, google it.
Reply to this Top
The "He Said" part was probably the most well-written CT feature I've ever read. The bar admittedly wasn't set too high but, "It’s hard to complain about weather when Northern Virginia has more snow than an ’80s record executive meeting," made me laugh out loud, the rest of it did a good job holding my interest (I was really hoping for a Chicago joke with all that "bear" talk, though).
Reply to this Top
..."Along those lines, I have never seen a girl happy at the gym."...
Nice piece. One thought though: I am quite happy when i'm at the gym, but think that smiling while deadlifting 150 lbs would be a little strange. Just a thought.
Reply to this Top
I was just talking about this with my roommate last night and how I feel like a lot of people at the gym, more specifically girls, are there because of their insecurities... I mean, we are all at the gym because we want to change something about our bodies, that is undisputed. And as for the tight leggings... well I wear them because they are comfortable and shorts bunch up when I am on the elliptical... TMI? maybe.. but its true and yes it does bother me when I know the gym attendants are ogling me and/or noticing them ogling other girls wearing the same thing. hahah
Reply to this Top
If it bothers you that attendants are "ogling" you, don't go to the gym - work out elsewhere. Or don't wear something that would cause someone to ogle you. Otherwise, prepare to have guys ogle you.
Reply to this Top
These articles are both too one sided. While I am sure a lot of girls do go to the gym only as a cause of their insecurities, the way these writers generalize this to all girls is disgusting.
You both fail to acknowledge that regular physical exercise can lengthen a person by decades. Literally. People who exercise are also rewarded by the benefits their brains recieve. Exercise is also obviously a tremendous stress reliever and many people work out for this purpose alone.
I admit that I could stand to lose about 5-8 pounds in certain areas typical for most girls, but that is not why I go to the gym. I know that those pounds can be extremely hard to lose especially when you have a schedule as busy as mine and cant go to the gym everyday. I go because of all the benefits listed above. You probably wont see me smiling at the gym because I don't go to socialize, which is generally when you see people smile, but that doesn't mean I am not enjoying pounding out 2 fast miles and pushing myself to the limit lifting weights.
Reply to this Top
"You don’t see girls smiling as they work out, and you pretty much never will. It’s just a fact. We’re there because we’re expected to be there."
What?
Don't go to the gym because someone else wants or expects you to. That's retarted. Ladies, go to the gym because you want to. And if you don't want to, then don't go. Working out is much more enjoyable and effective if you have fun doing it. And don't go to McComas, that place sucks.
Reply to this Top
Wasn't that her point? The piece ended with saying that girls need to start enjoying their workouts more. She even suggested avoiding McComas too.
Reply to this Top
Sounds like she needs to check out Crossfit
Reply to this Top
You said it! Dedicated and knowledgeable coaches push you to perform beyond what you thought capable.
Reply to this Top