SU Gym Survey with pictures

OFDM

Hey All,

We would like to thank all staff and students who answered our recent survey on the use of the Unveristy Sports Club.

We have had 2704 responses.

We are currently working through the data and we will get back to you once we have analysed it.

Regards
Damien McLoughlin

So the results of the unusually short 3 question survey are in and we have a 2703/1 chance of winning an iPod. I have no idea how they're going to draw any useful conclusions from the 3 questions:

"1. Are you a: (a) Student (b) Staff Member

2. Are you a: (a) Member of the University Sports Club, (b) Member of a sports gym outside DCU, (c) Non-member of any Sports Club/Gym

3. Would you join the University Sports Club using the following pricing structures.You may tick more than one box or choose the 'Don't Know' option.

a) A 12 month membership paid in one up front lump sum. (Yes/No)

b) A Semesterly plan by were you pay equal amounts for each semester and summer but only pay for the periods you choose. (Yes/No)

c) A fixed term contract for up to 1 year using a Direct-Debit/Standing Order system to pay in installments. (Yes/No)

d) (Don't know)"



I personally won't join the gym because the weights section (the section I'm most interested in) comprises of a few machines, dumbells up to only 25kg and a pair of benches with no barbell or barbell stand.

On the other hand, if they granted access to the "performance gym" which 99% of the time goes unused, then i would join up.

The "performance gym" seems well kitted out including decline, incline and flat benches. Here's some images a friend of mine took:



If you don't see any images then it's because imageshack is down

rugbug86

its just to put something to the sports complex to say that students will be willing to buy membership over a period of time instead of a lump sum.

Zem

How does one get permissionto use the performance gym?

rugbug86

one has to be an elite athlete - represent their county, provence, country or be on a scholarship

Zem

So if you were going to be taking part in an intervarsity would you be able to?

rugbug86

nope. dont think so. there's certain exceptions but only a few. varsity comp's aint included.

OFDM

rugbug86 wrote:

one has to be an elite athlete - represent their county, provence, country or be on a scholarship

I'd be willing to pay 40 quid extra a year for access to the "performance" gym.

rugbug86

OFDM wrote:

I'd be willing to pay 40 quid extra a year for access to the "performance" gym.

unfortunately it won't work like that.

OFDM

Well they won't be getting any money out of me until they give members access to decent free weights, not a rack of old people's lightweight dumbells with a seat..

rugbug86

i joined and love it, but then again i dont really use the weights. i use it for the jacu... i mean the pool...

dregin

So much for S.U. "protests" eh?
It's about time someone actually did something about the money hungry attitude of the authorities in DCU. Standing about outside the Sports Complex did absolutely nothing.

That pool isn't worth ****. A leisure pool at best.
Also, the level of discipline of their lifegaurds is questionable. I've looked in walking by to see lifegaurds chatting away/reading.

Hester

Nice pictures.

dregin wrote:

Also, the level of discipline of their lifegaurds is questionable. I've looked in walking by to see lifegaurds chatting away/reading.

Well what do you expect them to do? A lot of the time there's only one or two people in the pools just doing lengths. It must be awfully boring sitting around all day. Personally I hate it when I feel like I'm being watched by a lifeguard. Obviously it's their job, and they need to be observant, but I feel really self conscious

OFDM wrote:

I'd be willing to pay 40 quid extra a year for access to the "performance" gym.

I'd imagine you're not the only one. I don't see why they're not prepared to allow people to do this. I think in a previous thread ablut the gym, somebody said that sports clubs will be able to use the performance gym and suggested a weightlifting club. Would this be feasible?

dregin

Hester wrote:

Nice pictures.
Well what do you expect them to do? A lot of the time there's only one or two people in the pools just doing lengths. It must be awfully boring sitting around all day. Personally I hate it when I feel like I'm being watched by a lifeguard. Obviously it's their job, and they need to be observant, but I feel really self conscious

While I understand your discomfort, they're there to do a job. Their job is to prevent accidents. If they aren't paying full attention to the area they're supposed to be supervising accidents are going to happen. I don't know about you but I'd rather feel self concious than be dead.

In most other pools the lack of professionalism I saw in them would be dealt with sooner rather than later by management.

Hester

Fair enough. In the time I've spent in the pool I haven't found them to be in any way negligent. However, you mentioned you saw somebody reading on the job, which is very unprofessional and certainly shouldn't be allowed.

OFDM

Hester wrote:

I'd imagine you're not the only one. I don't see why they're not prepared to allow people to do this. I think in a previous thread ablut the gym, somebody said that sports clubs will be able to use the performance gym and suggested a weightlifting club. Would this be feasible?

To get it started you'd probably need some sort of "coach", someone big who knows what they're doing - guys like logic1 and Jak on the fitness board...

28064212

dregin wrote:

That pool isn't worth ****. A leisure pool at best.

Well what were you expecting? It's 25m, it's got lanes, and I've never seen it too busy to use comfortably. What else do you want? Could maybe have been deeper, but that's about it.

Flex

OFDM, I agree 100% with ya. I went to join the gym and was told the exact same crap about the performance gym being off limits. Pretty stupid, the fact the best part of DCU Sports Complex is more or less off limits to DCU students. I also raised the same issues you mentioned about the lack of bench presses, squat wracks and barbells, and that the dumbbells only go to 25 kg and the fact that its empty 99% of the time anyway.I mean, do they expect national level athletes to come to the DCU gym to train? Bull****. Needless to say i was ignored. Sad thing is, i wasnt actually very surprised by this load of ****.

OFDM

Flex wrote:

OFDM, I agree 100% with ya. I went to join the gym and was told the exact same crap about the performance gym being off limits. Pretty stupid, the fact the best part of DCU Sports Complex is more or less off limits to DCU students. I also raised the same issues you mentioned about the lack of bench presses, squat wracks and barbells, and that the dumbbells only go to 25 kg and the fact that its empty 99% of the time anyway.I mean, do they expect national level athletes to come to the DCU gym to train? Bull****. Needless to say i was ignored. Sad thing is, i wasnt actually very surprised by this load of ****.

When I asked if they were getting any more weights in they said "no, because our members are happy with what's there and you don't really need more than 25kg anyway"*. Of course their current members are happy because they didn't want to lift any weights in the first place.

They also give a "the new machine are so much better than the ones in the old gym were" - actually know they're not, the old gym had a proper leg press/hack squat machine and a smith machine. All this while the "performance gym" is permanently under lock and key, gathering dust. They seem to want to exclude anyone who's capable of lifting even semi-serious weight.

* I should really post that as part of a gym review on the fitness board to give everyone a laugh.

dregin

28064212 wrote:

Well what were you expecting? It's 25m, it's got lanes, and I've never seen it too busy to use comfortably. What else do you want? Could maybe have been deeper, but that's about it.

Yes tank, deeper. The pool can't host any competitions with it's paddling pool standard depth.

drunkenfool

Im a raging beast and i need to lift heavier weights then that, surely they'll let me...
Im going to be on campus next year and i aint paying for the gym if i cant use that....
Is the nearest gym westwood in clontarf apart from that?

mayordenis

wow this is really sickening now a gym is something i wont be able to live without so im probably gonna have to pay through the roof to go to a nice non-college related one somewhere else.

drunkenfool

Perhaps if we create a soc called the weight lifting soc in conjunction with the gym(more imaginative name of course), get 20 members or whatever, would be a great idea, always someone there that you'll know then, then maybe they'll let us use the "performance" gym. Which looks pretty good from the pics.... I dunno just an idea!

Zyox

You guys need to start a "Guys who want to start societies" society.

Mmmm tastes like recursion.

drunkenfool

just what the doctor ordered zyox, just what the doctor ordered...
Doc: DCU needs better clubs and socs, and drunkenfool your the man to do it, go on my son, lead the sheep to a better field.
drunkenfool: i will avenge my grandfathers!

Zyox

Grandon, go be a man.

Get onto the SPC if that's what you're into. It's the ULTIMATE society. The "Mack Daddy". Great for giving ego strokers ego boosts too >_<

Flex

OFDM wrote:

When I asked if they were getting any more weights in they said "no, because our members are happy with what's there and you don't really need more than 25kg anyway"*. Of course their current members are happy because they didn't want to lift any weights in the first place.

They also give a "the new machine are so much better than the ones in the old gym were" - actually know they're not, the old gym had a proper leg press/hack squat machine and a smith machine. All this while the "performance gym" is permanently under lock and key, gathering dust. They seem to want to exclude anyone who's capable of lifting even semi-serious weight.

* I should really post that as part of a gym review on the fitness board to give everyone a laugh.

Yeah. Besides, anyone who knows enough about weightliftin knows free weights are better than machines.

OFDM

Weightlifting club would be good, of course there would have to be an emphasis on entering intervarsity weightlifting/powerlifting competitions, if such things exist in Ireland. Apparently the DCU GAA club have access to the "performance gym" so a DCU competitive weightlifting would surely get access too.

Flex

OFDM wrote:

Weightlifting club would be good, of course there would have to be an emphasis on entering intervarsity weightlifting/powerlifting competitions, if such things exist in Ireland. Apparently the DCU GAA club have access to the "performance gym" so a DCU competitive weightlifting would surely get access too.

Does the GAA club have access? I asked if i joined the DCU rugby team would i then be allowed to use the performance gym and they said no, which really confused me!

OFDM

Flex wrote:

Does the GAA club have access?

That's the spiel they gave me. They also said if you were a "performance athlete" you could get access, whatever that's supposed to mean.

Flex

OFDM wrote:

That's the spiel they gave me. They also said if you were a "performance athlete" you could get access, whatever that's supposed to mean.

Yeah, all they kept sayin to me was "Do you play for an Eircom league team, or GAA County team or AIB rugby team?" .Oh yeah, when i was leavin they said "If it was up to me id let ya use it but its only for 'elite athletes' "...dickheads. I wonder why the hell they would make such a stupid policy?

the_syco

Hester wrote:

It must be awfully boring sitting around all day. Personally I hate it when I feel like I'm being watched by a lifeguard. Obviously it's their job, and they need to be observant, but I feel really self conscious

When you get in trouble, sinking slowly to the bottom, remember the last thng you'll see is the eff'ing lifeguard reading.
Its boring, but heck, thats why the pay is usually good!

=-=

How does one get a job there? I'm a qualified lifeguard, and this easy job sounds like my thing:p

=-=

As for the performance gym, it may be a good idea to get your SU to get a few hours in the evening (say... the last few hours when its never used) on 2 days a week, on a trail basis. Once the college see's that it spins money, they may allow more days.

See if the FoI act allows you to find out how many leet scum there are. Maybe only 2 or 3.

OFDM

According to Ken Robinson's latest spam email they're adding a "Beauty Salon" to the gym, which features "Sculptured Nails" and "Tanning". But there's no sign of any real free weights or benches being added. Looks like they want it to be a "girly" gym.

There were a group of people using the "performance gym" yesterday. I think it was Crusaders athletics club because I saw someone running out with a Crusaders jacket, but that doesn't make a lot of sense seeing as they say they have a full gym on their website.

Vokes

Im fed up after this latest gimmick, they should be using the money to sort out the sports hall with its air-conditioning, showers etc...

As usual, DCU shows that it's a business first and a university second.