By Bridget Sjoberg | Staff Writer
Baylor Wellness and Campus Recreation are hosting their first “Try” event Friday. It involves run, bike and swim events to encourage students to de-stress and spend time exercising during a busy final season.
The Try event will hold a 4 p.m. division for fun, as well as a 4:45 p.m. competitive division and a 5:30 p.m. faculty and staff division. Assistant director of wellness Van Davis said including multiple divisions will allow all students and faculty to get involved, whether they are looking for a challenge or simply just a way to take a study break.
“This event really is for anyone. The biggest reason that we’re doing this is to provide stress relief for our students and encourage them to ‘try’ to stay focused and strong for their finals coming up,” Davis said. “The event is meant for people to come together and take a quick break to do something physically active. It’ll be fun and there’s no experience needed.”
The competitive division will involve running or walking two laps around the Cub Trail, pedaling for two miles on a stationary bike and swimming for eight laps. Participating in the division just for fun will be a lap around the Cub Trail, a mile on the bike and swimming two laps. The event is free with a Baylor ID and Davis encourages students and other participants to sign up prior to the event if possible, but walk-ins will also be accepted.
“We would prefer if participants would sign up in advance so we know how many people we will have in each division and the best way to sign up is to go to baylor.edu/wellness—the event is on the front page so you can’t miss it,” Davis said.
Temple senior Essyria Savannah-Hallaway, an F45 class instructor for the FitWell program, views the event as a way for students to learn more about FitWell while also finding a way to stay active during finals season.
“One of our staff members remembered her freshman year seeing some version of a triathlon on campus and we basically put a FitWell twist on her idea—we hope that students get some stress relief and have a bunch of fun as they prepare to buckle down and tackle those finals,” Savannah-Hallaway said. “Exercise is great for the brain, the body and can even help improve memory.”
Davis also emphasized the importance of making an effort to care for the body and exercise during finals, a time when many students may stay inside studying for long periods.
“Any activity that students can do, whether it be just walking or taking a class, will help them to retain information better, focus and concentrate,” Davis said. “We want to encourage students to make time to be active. If you’re studying for hours, make sure to take a break and move your body, even if that’s just walking the stairs or dancing in your dorm.”
Along with the division events, food will be provided at the end like a hot dog bar and potato salad, so students have the opportunity to be active while also spending quality time with friends. Davis hopes that the event can continue to grow for next school year and possibly involve intramural points.
Along with the “try” event, the SLC is offering free FitWell classes during finals week for all Baylor students, including popular options like F45, yoga, boxing and Bear Cycle.
“We will be offering our FitWell classes for the week of finals to allow students to come in and relieve stress,” Davis said. “All classes during that week — Monday through Friday of the week of finals — will be free. Students will have the chance to de-stress and try out some classes. If they like them, they can sign up to become a member next semester.”
A schedule of FitWell’s spring classes can be accessed through baylor.edu/wellness under the fitness and nutrition tab. Check-in for Friday’s event will be located in the SLC and more information can be found online or by contacting Davis at van_davis@baylor.edu.
