December 10th, 2009

From Recreational Sports: End of the semester/winter intercession Recreation Center facility hours:

Monday-Thursday, December 14-17, 6 a.m.-11 p.m.
Friday, December 18, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
   (Regular pool hours Monday-Thursday; no pool hours on Friday.)
Saturday & Sunday, December 19 & 20, Closed
Monday & Tuesday, December 21 & 22, 6 a.m.-6 p.m.
Wednesday, December 23, 6 a.m.-5 p.m.
    (Pool hours will not be held December 18-23)

The Recreation Center will be closed December 24-January 4, and will re-open on Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Winter intercession facility hours:

January 5-15, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
            (There are no pool hours during the winter intercession, and the facility is closed  on Saturday and Sunday.)

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From Recreational Sports: Keene State will hold its 5th Annual Pumpkin 5K Fun Run/Walk on Friday, October 16 (starting at 2:30 p.m.). This event is free and open to all KSC students, faculty, and staff.

Registration forms and the course maps are available at the front desk of the Recreation Center, and sign up begins on Friday, October 2. Entry deadline is Wednesday, October 14. Recreational Sports is also sponsoring a canned food drive for the Keene Community Kitchen, so please bring a canned food item to contribute when you register or on the day of the race.

T-shirts will be given to the first 125 sign ups (once they complete the Fun Run).
Entries will be taken up until the day of the race, but participants cannot be guaranteed a t-shirt. For more information contact Lynne Andrews.

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From Recreational Sports: All faculty and staff (spouses/same-sex domestic partners as well) are welcome to use the Recreation Center and participate in Recreational Sports programs September 21-30 at no charge. Come to the Rec Center front desk & sign up for a special pass.

The BodyWorks fitness center staff will offer equipment instruction to help start your workout program. Participants are welcome to use the weight room and cardio equipment, swim during Rec Sports pool time, or take a group fitness class! For more information, stop by the front desk of the Recreation Center or call the Recreational Sports office at 8-2814.

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From Recreational Sports: Faculty and staff (and their spouse or same-sex domestic partner) can purchase memberships to the Recreation Center facilities and programs. There are several membership options available:

• If you are a benefits-eligible employee and you have your health insurance through the College with Harvard Pilgrim, you can utilize the Wellness Connection program, which will cover the cost of your membership as long as you work out a minimum of 8 times per month.
• If you do not have health benefits through the College, the cost of the Recreation Center membership is $480 from now until the end of August 2010. Membership entitles you to use all the facilities and programs we offer. We also offer faculty and staff the option of purchasing semester memberships (for $200) or academic year memberships (for $400); summer membership is $80.

• The other memberships available are the walking track/aerobics membership for $125 per semester (access to the walking track and group fitness program) and the Spaulding Gym membership (use of the swimming pool during Rec Sports swim time and the racquetball court at no charge). Faculty and staff can sign up for a membership at the front desk of the Recreation Center.

Facility members may obtain child passes for dependent children ages 18 and under for access to the pool and recreation courts only (based on membership restriction of the faculty or staff member). We recommend bringing children to the facilities on the weekends (1-3/5-8 p.m. for the pool, and noon-5 p.m. for the recreation courts). Children must have parental supervision at all times while using the facilities. To use the pool, children must be toilet trained (completely out of diapers) and able to touch the bottom of the shallow end. Child passes can be obtained from the front desk staff. The pass must be shown at the front desk when using the recreation courts and given to the lifeguards when using the pool. Children high school age and under are not permitted on the jogging/walking track or in either fitness center area. Dependent children aged 18 and older cannot purchase memberships during the academic year.

Please contact the Recreational Sports office, 8-2814, if you have any questions about facility memberships, or if you would like information on recreational sports programs.

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From Recreational Sports: Opening week hours for the Recreation Center will be:

Thursday and Friday (8/27-8/28): 6 a.m.-5 p.m. (no pool hours)

Saturday (8/29): 1-6 p.m. (no pool hours)

Sunday (8/30): 1-11 p.m. (pool hours 5-8 p.m.)

Student IDs & membership cards are required to access the Recreation Center.
Regular facility and pool hours begin on Monday, August 31. Check the Recreational Sports webpage for facility hours and other information about the program.

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From Recreational Sports: Opening week hours for the Recreation Center will be:

Monday-Tuesday (8/24-8/25): 6 a.m.-9 p.m. (summer pool hours)

Wednesday (8/26): CLOSED (Freshman Move-in Day and staff training; locker rooms will be available for general use.)

Thursday and Friday (8/27-8/28): 6 a.m.-5 p.m. (no pool hours)

Saturday (8/29): 1-6 p.m. (no pool hours)

Sunday (8/30): 1-11 p.m. (pool hours 5-8 p.m.)

Student IDs & membership cards are required to access the Recreation Center.
Regular facility and pool hours begin on Monday, August 31. Check the Recreational Sports webpage for facility hours and other information about the program.

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From Recreational Sports: There will be no hot water or heat in the Recreation Center August 10–14, because of the campus-wide heat plant shutdown. The facility will remain open, but please plan accordingly for your workouts. Also, during that week, all the wood floors will be refinished and there may be a strong odor in the facility for the first few days. The areas with wood floors will be closed until at least August 21. Group fitness classes will be held as scheduled, but in alternate rooms. Please check outside the aerobics studio for signs indicating what rooms the classes will be held. Signs will be posted indicating when the workout areas affected by the wood floor refinishing will be re-opened.

Summer facility hours will end on Tuesday, August 25. Reduced facility hours will be held on Wednesday, August 26–Sunday, August 30, (signs will be posted in the facility the week of August 10).

Reminder: all facility memberships (those issued for 2008–09) end on August 31. Memberships can be renewed (or new sign-ups taken) for 2009–2010 beginning on Monday, August 17. The membership period runs from September 1 to August 31, so you will want to process your renewal or first-time membership by the end of August/first week of September. Any membership that was purchased or received after January 2009 also expires on August 31.

Membership applications can be picked up and completed at the front desk, and the staff will issue you a 2009–2010 membership card. Information on membership can be found on the Recreational Sports web page or at the front desk of the Recreation Center.

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From Recreational Sports: Summer facility hours for the Recreation Center will begin on Monday, May 11. The hours are Monday–Thursday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m. and Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Pool hours are tentatively scheduled to begin on Monday, May 18, and are Monday–Friday, noon–1 p.m.; Monday & Wednesday, 7:30–8:30 p.m.; and Tuesday & Thursday, 6:30–8:30 p.m. The Recreation Center is closed on the weekends in the summer.

Summer memberships are available for all faculty, staff, and spouses/same-sex domestic partners (benefits-eligible faculty and staff may use the Wellness Connection benefit to pay for their membership) and the cost is $100 for May–August. Any current facility member using the Wellness Connection benefit and needing to put their membership on hold for the summer must email their request to Bette Whitney (bwhitney@keene.edu). The minimum workout requirement for the Wellness Connection program remains the same during the summer, and members are encouraged to promptly complete their workout log sheet each month to ensure that they fulfill this requirement.

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From Recreational Sports: Finals week (May 4–8) hours for the Recreation Center will be Monday–Thursday, 6 a.m.–11 p.m., and Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Regular pool hours will be held Monday–Thursday of finals week, but the pool will be closed on Friday.

Summer memberships for faculty and staff are available for $100 (May 11–August 28) and will go on sale beginning Monday, May 4, at the front desk of the Recreation Center. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff may sign up for the Wellness Connection program through Harvard Pilgrim to cover their membership cost in the summer if they are not currently members of the Recreation Center.

Faculty and staff utilizing the Wellness Connection program for their membership during the academic year can place their membership on hold for the summer if they are not going to be able to meet their minimum workout requirements. Please contact Bette Whitney at bwhitney@keene.edu to place your membership on hold (this must be done at the beginning of the month). The minimum workout requirement for the Wellness Connection program remains the same during the summer and members are encouraged to promptly complete their workout log sheet each month to ensure that they fulfill this requirement.

Summer hours begin on Monday, May 11. The Recreation Center hours are Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; and closed on the weekends. The pool hours for recreation swim time are tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 13 and are Monday–Friday, noon–1 p.m.; Monday and Wednesday, 7:30–8:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Summer conference attendees are eligible to use the Recreation Center for workout purposes while they are on campus for their designated program by paying a $5 daily fee or $15 for a week. The sponsoring department or office will need to provide Recreational Sports with a list of names of conference attendees well in advance of the date/dates of the desired use of the facilities in order that proper arrangements can be made. Please contact Lynne Andrews at landrews@keene.edu for more information on use of the facility for summer conference groups or other summer-only participants on campus.

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From Recreational Sports: Finals week (May 4–8) hours for the Recreation Center will be Monday–Thursday, 6 a.m.–11 p.m., and Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Regular pool hours will be held Monday–Thursday of finals week, but the pool will be closed on Friday.

Summer memberships for faculty and staff are available for $100 (May 11–August 28) and will go on sale beginning Monday, May 4, at the front desk of the Recreation Center. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff may sign up for the Wellness Connection program through Harvard Pilgrim to cover their membership cost in the summer if they are not currently members of the Recreation Center.

Faculty and staff utilizing the Wellness Connection program for their membership during the academic year can place their membership on hold for the summer if they are not going to be able to meet their minimum workout requirements. Please contact Bette Whitney at bwhitney@keene.edu to place your membership on hold (this must be done at the beginning of the month). The minimum work-out requirement for the Wellness Connection program remains the same during the summer and members are encouraged to promptly complete their workout log sheet each month to ensure that they fulfill this requirement.

Summer hours begin on Monday, May 11. The Recreation Center hours are Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m.–6 p.m.; and closed on the weekends. The pool hours for recreation swim time are tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 13 and are Monday–Friday, noon–1 p.m.; Monday and Wednesday, 7:30–8:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Summer conference attendees are eligible to use the Recreation Center for work-out purposes while they are on campus for their designated program by paying a $5 daily fee or $15 for a week. The sponsoring department or office will need to provide Recreational Sports with a list of names of conference attendees well in advance of the date/dates of the desired use of the facilities in order that proper arrangements can be made. Please contact Lynne Andrews at landrews@keene.edu for more information on use of the facility for summer conference groups or other summer-only participants on campus.

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From Recreational Sports: There will be reduced weekend hours for the Recreation Center April 10–12. The hours are Friday, 6 a.m.–9 p.m. (pool, noon–1 p.m. only); Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (no pool hours); and Sunday, 1–11 p.m. (pool, 5–8 p.m. only). Regular facility and pool hours resume on Monday, April 13.

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From Antje Hornbeck, Sustainability Council: The Keene State Campus is a starting point for many good walking/jogging loops. Four “easily-done-in-a-lunchtime” options, between 1.5 and 2.9 miles long, are outlined on this trail map. Detailed color maps are available at the Recreation Center.

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From Recreational Sports: Faculty and staff who are benefit-eligible employees (or their spouses/same-sex domestic partners who are on the KSC health insurance plan) may utilize the Harvard Pilgrim Wellness Connection benefit to join the Recreation Center at no charge. The Wellness Connection program requires members to work out a minimum of 8 times per month and must submit a completed log sheet to Recreational Sports in order to have their membership covered.

Any new faculty or staff (or their spouses/same-sex domestic partners) who wish to sign up for a Recreation Center membership using the Harvard Pilgrim Wellness Connection benefit should do so as soon as possible to have as much of the month of January to complete the workout requirement of the program. For more information on the Wellness Connection program, stop by the front desk of the Recreation Center for the information handout. Other membership options are also available for faculty and staff who are not eligible to use Wellness Connection.

Academic year Recreation Center facility hours: Monday–Thursday, 6 a.m.–11 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m.–10 p.m.;Saturday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m.–11 p.m.; pool hours are Monday/Wednesday/Friday, noon–1 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30–1:30 p.m.; Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 7:30–10 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 8–10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 1–3 p.m. and 5–8 p.m. Facility and pool hours are subject to change for school holidays and breaks.

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From Recreational Sports: October 24, Recreational Sports held its 4th Annual Pumpkin 5K Fun Run/Walk for the campus community. Of the 204 registered participants, 34 were faculty and staff. While a few of the faculty and staff who registered couldn’t participate, those who did had a great day to run or walk the 3.1-mile course through the athletic fields and campus and finishing just inside the Main Street Archway. We hope those who participated had a great time and encourage other faculty and staff to be sure to sign up next year.

Courtesy Photo: Business Office runners/walkers Karen House, John Halter, Sue Freitas, Liane Wiley, Matthew Kimber, and Renee Harlow (Jim Draper also walked but snuck away before the picture was taken).

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• Tuesday, November 25: Facility hours, 6 a.m.–11 p.m.; pool hours, 12:30–1:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 26: Recreation Center will close at 5 p.m.; noon swim will not be held.
• Thursday, November 27–Saturday, November 29: Recreation Center will be closed.
• Sunday, November 30: Facility hours, noon–11 p.m.; pool hours, 5–8 p.m. (tentative).

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: Keene State field hockey and women’s volleyball teams hit the road this week for their opening-round NCAA Division III tournament games.

The Owls captured their fifth-straight Little East Conference field hockey championship on November 1 with a 4-0 win over rival Plymouth State. KSC also won LEC titles in 1998 and 1999. Junior midfielder Erin Dallas, who was named the tournament’s MVP, had a pair of goals and an assist in the finals.“We were fired up to play in the championship game,” said KSC Coach Amy Watson, who earned her 250th career victory. “This team came a long way this season.” (The Owls lost 1-0 to Springfield College yesterday in the NCAA first round.)

The Keene State women’s volleyball team won a five-game cliffhanger over UMass-Boston 3-2 (30-28, 21-25, 25-22, 17-25, and 17-15) to win their first-ever LEC championship on November 2. Facing a 7-1 deficit in the fifth and deciding game, the Owls rallied to pull off the dramatic victory.

“We were down 7-1, but I didn’t see us going down like that,” said KSC Coach Bob Weiner. In his fourth year on the Keene State bench, Weiner felt the key play in the final game came when Sarah Peterson sacrificed life and limb, diving to make a match-saving dig. “We popped the ball up and we turned around and scored on it,” he said. “That was the turning point. We weren’t going to lose after that.”

“It was a perfect ending to a perfect season,” said junior setter Jordan Pokryfki, whose parents made the trip from Alaska to take in the tournament. “We were down in the fifth game and nobody gave up. I thank every single member of the team for that. We’ve been dreaming about this tournament the whole year and, even though we were behind, we weren’t going to let it slip away from our fingers. We wanted it so badly.”

Courtesy photos: KSC field hockey and women’s volleyball teams

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: A capacity crowd of Madness neophytes and veteran night owls packed the gym for a night of hoopla and hoops at the 12th annual Midnight Madness celebration last Friday at Spaulding Gym.

From the opening national anthem (where the students sang along with the Chock Full O Notes group), through the contests and exuberance, to the confetti-blasting finale, Madness 2008 ushered in the basketball season in grand style.

There was something for everybody: A sumo-race, a motorized-toilet race through an obstacle course, a near miss on a $10,000 half-court shot, stellar displays of basketball skill, and performances by the KSC cheerleading squad and dance team.

The large cheerleading squad — consisting of 22 members, including 14 freshmen — kicked off the festivities and brought the house down with their fabulous routine.

At the stroke of midnight, the Owl basketball teams entered the gym and the players treated the fans to hot-shot and dunk competitions. Cody Snow, a flying freshman from Leyden, Mass., won the contest. Not to be outdone, several members of the women’s team hoisted Michele Boudreau up on their shoulders so the senior guard could attempt a slam.

The dance team brought the Madness to a close with a nifty number that concluded with a cannon blasting red and white confetti all over the court. “It’s our biggest event of the year,” said Amanda Currao, a senior from Salem and one of 24 dance team performers. ”We like being on last and finishing Madness with a bang.”

Photo: Mike Phillips; KSC Midnight Madness

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From Recreational Sports: Enter the Pumpkin 5K Fun Run/Walk on Friday, October 24! T-shirts will be given to the first 100 sign ups (once they have completed the run). The race begins at 2:30 p.m. and the entry deadline is Wednesday, October 22 (entries will be taken up until the day of the race, but later entries cannot be guaranteed a T-shirt). Register at the Rec Center. The event is free and open to all KSC students, faculty, and staff.

Recreational Sports is sponsoring a canned food drive for the Keene Community Kitchen in conjunction with the race. Please bring a can of food on the day of the race. For more information contact Lynne Andrews at landrews@keene.edu.

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From Recreational Sports: Enter the Pumpkin 5K Fun Run/Walk on Friday, October 24! T-shirts will be given to the first 100 sign-ups (once they have completed the run). The race begins at 2:30 p.m. The entry deadline is Wednesday, October 22 (entries will be taken up until the day of the race, but later entries cannot be guaranteed a T-shirt). Register at the Rec Center. The event is free and open to all KSC students, faculty, and staff.

Recreational Sports is sponsoring a canned food drive for the Keene Community Kitchen in conjunction with the race. Please bring a canned food item on the day of the race. For more information contact Lynne Andrews at landrews@keene.edu.

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From Recreational Sports: Faculty and staff (and their spouse or domestic partner) can still purchase memberships to use the facilities and programs in the Recreation Center. There are several different membership options available.

If you are a benefits-eligible employee and have your health insurance through the College with Harvard Pilgrim, you can use the Wellness Connection program, which will cover the cost of your membership as long as you work out a minimum of eight times per month. If you do not have health benefits through the College, then the cost of the Recreation Center membership is $480 from now until the end of August. This entitles you to use all the facilities and programs we offer.

We do offer faculty and staff the option of purchasing this membership by the semester, $180 or academic year, $360. The other memberships available are the Walking Track/Aerobics membership for $100 per semester, which allows access to the walking track and group fitness program, and the Spaulding Gym membership, which allows use of the swimming pool during Rec Sports swim time and the racquetball court at no charge. Faculty and staff can sign up for a membership at the front desk of the Recreation Center.

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From Recreational Sports: All KSC faculty and staff are cordially invited to use the facilities and programs in the Recreation Center for one week … FREE! Come to the Recreation Center front desk during Open House Week, September 22 – 30, and sign up for a special pass to use the weight room or cardio equipment. Jump in the water during Rec Sports pool time, or take a group fitness class.

The BodyWorks fitness center staff will offer equipment use instruction to help start your workout program. For more information and group fitness class schedules, please contact the Recreational Sports office at 8-2814.

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From Recreational Sports: All KSC faculty and staff are cordially invited to use the facilities and programs in the Recreation Center for one week … FREE! Come to the Recreation Center front desk during Open House Week, September 22-30, and sign up for a special pass to use the weight room, cardio equipment, swim during Rec Sports pool time, or take a group fitness class.

The BodyWorks fitness center staff will offer equipment use instruction to help start your workout program. For more information and group fitness class schedules, please contact the Recreational Sports office at 8-2814.

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From Ben Mecklenberg, Intramural Sports/Club Sports: Recreational Sports will host the First Two-Person Golf Scramble at Pine Grove Springs Country Club in Spofford on either September 27 or October 4. All faculty/staff are welcomed to play, but the deadline for the tournament sign-up is Friday, September 12.

Each player will receive one 18-hole round of golf, golf cart, and a barbecue dinner after the tournament. The cost is $80 per twosome. You can sign up at the Recreation Center Front Desk. For more information: http://www.kscintramurals.org.

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From Lynne Andrews, Recreation Center: Just a friendly reminder that all facility memberships (those issued for 2007-08) end on Sunday, August 31. Memberships can be renewed for 2008-09 by stopping by the front desk with completed membership application and Par-Q forms that were sent to you by mail. If you did not receive these forms or would like to join the Recreation Center as a new member, please stop by the front desk to complete the paperwork and receive your membership card.

The membership period runs from September 1 to August 31, so you will want to process your renewal or first-time membership by the end of August or the first week of September.

A membership fee of $480 for KSC faculty, staff, and their spouses/partners includes use of the entire Recreation Center from September 1, 2008, to August 31, 2009. Benefits-eligible faculty and staff can use the Wellness Connection benefit of your Harvard Pilgrim health insurance to cover the cost of membership. For more information about this program and the other membership options available, please stop by the front desk of the Recreation Center or contact the Recreational Sports office at 8-2814.

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From Patrick Hearn, Recreational Sports: The last Rec. Swim for the summer will be the noon swim on Fri., July 25. Pool renovations will begin on July 28. The pool is scheduled to reopen on Thurs., Aug. 24, in time for opening weekend. Thank you in advance for your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience.

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