Active Living Centre celebrates ten years of building healthy communities

Ten years ago, on February 25, 2015, the Active Living Centre (ALC) opened its doors for the first time. A new icon on UM’s Fort Garry campus, the building was designed to be “extroverted, communicative and engaging.” Now, a decade later, the building’s legacy extends far beyond its award-winning architecture.

“It’s a gathering place and whether you’re a student, an employee, an academic or anyone, they’re all coming here for a common purpose,” says Julia Panchyshyn, a Manager of the Human Resources Service Centre at UM.

For over 20 years, Panchyshyn has also been a group fitness instructor for Recreation Services. She says she’s seen firsthand how the facility enabled a “very special” community to grow on campus.

“It’s a really tight-knit community, and I think working on campus, you run across people that have been in your classes or at the gym, and you make these connections,” she says.

“A renaissance fitness cathedral.”

Julia Panchyshyn

The facility, designed by Cibinel Architecture in collaboration with Batteríid Architects, replaced the “gritty” grotto, the former basement-level workout facility. In addition to the updated fitness facilities, the building also houses the High Performance Training Centre, the heart of strength and conditioning for Bisons student-athletes and the Applied Research Centre, a hub for faculty research advancing our understanding of kinesiology.

When it opened, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management Dean Douglas Brown said the new facility, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, was a “renaissance fitness cathedral.”

“I love that in almost every corner of this space, you’re looking out at the sunshine and the green,” said Kaylee Green, a program coordinator with Mini U. “We’re really lucky here with how accessible it is, how safe it is and the opportunity to play and be a part of this community.”

“It’s great to see that sometimes their passion starts here, at an almost grassroots level.”

Green says the space creates the chance for Mini U to expose campers to new experiences they weren’t previously able to accommodate, like more climbing programs on the 32-foot wall. She says many of the climbing leaders today were once kids in the climbing camps years ago.

Kaylee Green

“It’s been nice that [ kids who’ve gone through Mini U programs] want to stay here and they want to share that passion with the kids,” she says. “It’s great to see that sometimes their passion starts here, at an almost grassroots level.”

When the building opened, Brown says the goal was to create a space that would help draw people into the campus and community. Green says it’s done more than just that; it has become a safe and comfortable place for many young campers.

“I love working out with all the students because it gives me the energy to push myself.”

Green says many of the campers look up to the people in the community, like instructors they meet and older athletes they see working out. Getting to engage in the same facilities as them gives them a “goal” for their future.

Prema Bursa says she shares a similar enthusiasm for the community in the ALC.

“It’s the people, the members, the staff, the fitness attendants, the reception desk, everybody.”

Prema Bursa

“I love working out with all the students because it gives me the energy to push myself,” the longtime member says. “I see what they’re doing and I want to do the same.”

Bursa, a senior in the community who has been a member for over 30 years, says it’s the people that keep her coming six days a week (Fridays are her rest day).

“It’s the people, the members, the staff, the fitness attendants, the reception desk, everybody. They’re all so helpful, so wonderful and such passionate people,” she says.

Panchyshyn says the welcoming feeling the community has in the space is really its defining feature. She says the anxiousness of going to the gym lightens when you see the familiar faces of the attendants and members.

“It just makes it that much easier and takes that scariness away,” she says. “Then you’ll recognize someone another time, or see them elsewhere on campus, and you now have this connection which just makes things a little easier each time.”

Programming engaging recreation and outreach in the Active Living Center, whether it be through Recreation Services, Mini U or Bisons Sports is part of the faculty’s strategic plan centered around building health communities.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Active Living Centre’s and its role in building health and wellness in the community, a number of events will take place from June 7-17.

The celebration kicks off on June 7 with the Get Active open house and wraps up with Sneaker Day, a staff and faculty event on June 17. Throughout the week, people who attend events at the ALC can be entered to win prizes from Recreation Services, including daily 4-month memberships, and one 12-month membership grand prize.

Celebration events

June 7: Get Active open house

• Get Active opens the doors to the ALC with free access to the fitness facilities on the Fort Garry campus.
• • •  Get Active showcases membership benefits, provides access to fitness facilities and builds community both on and off campus.
    •  The facilities will be open to the public for free from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
    •  Visit the event listing for a full schedule

June 9-13: Staff appreciation week

• All faculty and staff at UM will have free gym access throughout the work week.
• Workout on the fitness floor, try a group fitness class or sign up for drop-in climbing. Take advantage of all the benefits of the Rec Services membership for free this week.
• UM staff can stop by the customer service desk in the ALC and Joe Doupe Recreation Centre with their staff card to fill out a waiver to take advantage of free gym access for the week.

June 17: Sneaker Day

• A special lunch-hour event for staff and faculty from across the university to connect, enjoy some fresh air and embrace an active lifestyle with a 3 km walk at both the Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses, sponsored by the Office of the Vice-President (Administration).
• Staff and faculty are invited to socialize after the walk and enjoy cookies and ice cream (from the UM Dairy Club). Registration has closed but UM staff are welcome to join us on the walk.

Connor Boyd