This past summer, Hayward High School introduced the new addition of the Tamarack Health and Fitness Center. This center consists of a two-court gymnasium, a walking track, cardio equipment, and a weight room with an ample amount of equipment. Many students were thrilled with the new addition due to the wide range of equipment to fit everyone’s needs. But as students began to settle in, they began to realize that the operation was very inconvenient, for students especially.
The first overall issue is that the hours of operation do not satisfy the free time of many in the community. The facility opens at 6:00 a.m. and closes at 7:00 p.m. every day, along with a closing time from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The facility is also free for student use an hour before school and two hours after school. These hours apply for the weekdays. On weekends, the facility is open for four hours from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. These times could be very inconvenient for students who participate in after-school activities.
For students specifically, the rules and regulations are much more tight. The hour before and two hours after school are the only times to get in the weight room for students. This is because students can only get access to the facilities, after free-use hours, with a family membership. Even with this pass, the rules specifically state that people ages fourteen-eighteen are not allowed to use the weight room without adult supervision, this makes it much more difficult to get in the weight room. Without an adult willing to sit and watch them for an hour or two, students will be challenged to find time to keep up with their athletic regimen.
This poses a big struggle during school breaks because there are no open weight rooms for free use with no school. Students who desire to keep up with their routine will be forced to buy a fitness membership elsewhere, i.e. Snap Fitness. Although the facility was built as an addition to the school, it doesn’t seem to be run in the best interest of the students. The addition of the Tamarack Health and Fitness Center has been a great addition to the school, and the community, but there are definitely flaws with its rules and regulations.
