RFC
October 9, 2025
The new and improved “mall” of GC
The first phase of the refresh at Goshen College’s Recreational Fitness Center includes replacing the old paint and transforming the building into a place that embodies the pride of GC. Phase one is “handling all the hallways and interior corridors,” said Chad Coleman, associate athletic director. “We purpled out all the teal, and whited out all of the old regular off-white eggshell colors,” Coleman said. He said the color changes are part of a “move to rebrand and to come more in line with our competition.” Coleman spends the majority of his days in the RFC, where he is relentlessly...
October 22, 2020
Without RFC: How are students working out?
When the Recreation-Fitness Center closed for additional COVID-19 housing last week, members of the Goshen College campus were forced to find new ways to continue exercising. Some had already made adjustments when COVID-19 first hit. Kyle Hufford, associate professor of communication, used to go to the RFC four to five hours a week. Since March, that number has dropped down to one to two hours. Hufford alternated between cardio, such as the “rowing machine, elliptical and using the weight room,” he said. Hufford often worked out on weekdays when he had night classes. “But I really haven’t been super comfortable...
November 18, 2019
Roles reversed in Rec-Fit trainings
Students and professors have switched roles in the gym this semester. Exercise science students Ollie Smith and Elias Baer have taken as trainees professors in the communications, nursing, and Bible and religion departments. This is a part of the students’ coursework. Last December, Brenda Srof, professor of nursing, turned 59. Her colleagues asked her what plans she had for her 60th birthday. “I’m going to get physically fit,” she replied. A few weeks later, Srof received an email from Ollie Smith, then a third-year exercise science major who was looking for professors to train. They began training together in January...
February 8, 2019
Got Yoga?
In need of a good stretch? Perhaps you’ve been feeling overstressed and under-relaxed. Luckily for you, Reed Yoder, a junior social work major, has you covered. This semester marks the beginning of a yoga club led by Yoder. The club meets Monday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the Recreation-Fitness Center. Teaching is relatively new to Yoder, as his first venture came only months ago, during GC’s 2018 Healthy Bodies week. However, Yoder is a seasoned yoga practitioner. Since the age of 15, he has been practicing yoga primarily for the mental and physical health benefits it provides. He believes that...
December 8, 2016
Turf room utilized by Goshen College athletes
During the winter months in Northern Indiana, it can be hard for certain teams to work out on the fields due to snow and cold. With the intense weather conditions, the baseball and softball teams have to practice indoors to get ready for the spring season. A few years ago, the baseball and softball teams used to practice in the gym but during a summer volleyball tournament, the batting cages fell, injuring several people. After the incident, Josh Keister, athletic director, knew that the batting cages needed to be moved to a safer location. Along with the accident, hitting baseballs...
February 5, 2015
Nite at the RFC
This Friday, February 6, the Campus Activities Council (CAC) will be putting a new spin on inflatable fun. Starting at 10:00 p.m. to midnight, the Recreation-Fitness Center will once again host this semester’s Night At the RFC. Like last year, this event is free and open to all Goshen students interested in attending, and all students will have an equal opportunity to participate and win prizes for each event. Many of the past activities included an inflatable obstacle course, a bungee run and sumo wrestling, but this year’s main event will include a series of inflatable games. In previous years,...
January 15, 2015
RFC debuts indoor half marathon
Goshen’s first indoor half marathon will be held at the RFC indoor track and will take place over the course of one full week. According to Doug Yoder, organizer of the half marathon and head coach of the cross country and track and field teams, the event is scheduled this way so that students, staff and faculty can run the half marathon whenever it fits their schedules. However, participants are required to schedule the day they will run the half marathon in advance to avoid an excess of people running at the same time. A half marathon on the indoor...
October 1, 2014
Pool Space Redesigned For Athletes
The pool space in the Recreation-Fitness Center will now be designated as an area for athletes. The current plan for renovating the pool space involves putting in turf, batting cages and workout machines that are more specific to the needs of athletes. When the batting cages fell in the gym and injured several people at a high school volleyball league this summer, the RFC explored alternative options for the location of the batting cages. Josh Keister, recreation-fitness center director, stated that in addition to the accident, the wear and tear on the gym floor from baseballs and softballs prompted the RFC...
October 22, 2013
The flexible hour
Although it is Hayley Mann’s first time instructing a yoga class solo at Goshen College’s Recreation and Fitness Center, one would barely be able to notice. Whether it is her gracefulness and fluidity as she transitions from pose to pose in the sun salutation sequence, or the confidence that exudes with each stretch, she seems as if she has been doing it for years. To some extent she has, assisting classes since the age of sixteen in her hometown of Phoenix, Ariz. Her love for yoga began in tenth grade, when she began attending yoga classes in Phoenix with her...
October 6, 2013
Where have the swimmers gone
Community members of Goshen are looking for new places to swim. When the Goshen College pool in the Recreation Fitness Center closed last fall, avid pool users like Linda SchlabachMiller and Sally Fuller, who taught water aerobic classes in the pool regularly, as well as regular lap swimmers and family pool users like Kevin Gary and his family, were forced to move on to other pools and opportunities—if they could find them. Unwilling to give up on her water aerobics class, Miller tried to find another pool to facilitate her weekly classes and encourage fitness. She was employedby the Goshen...
February 13, 2013
Pool space to be split into separate workout facilities
After months of delay, floor plans for the former pool space in the Recreation Fitness Center are finally in the works. The pool space is to be divided into two sections: the front half, which faces the lobby, will become a varsity level athletic weight room, while the back space will be turned into a open floor cardio room. Space that was previously used for pool mechanics and storage will become additional locker rooms. Bill Born, vice president of student life, said the proposed floor plans were largely based on feedback from Student Senate forums and surveys given to students, faculty...
January 23, 2013
Remembering Roman’s empire
Where are Goshen’s athletic teams based? For basketball and volleyball, many of the Leaf faithful could name Gunden Gymnasium, the 2,500 seat multi-purpose facility in the Recreation-Fitness Center that has hosted Goshen athletes since they moved out of the Union gym almost two decades ago. Many members of the GC community could name the building’s namesake Ruth Gunden, who coached three sports before retiring and still often returns to the bleachers in the arena. But, of course, our men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams make up just three of Goshen’s 20 varsity sports teams. While all of the other...
November 29, 2012
Pool space likely to become a multi-use facility
The large space where people used to swim has remained vacant, though it is visible to all who use the Recreation-Fitness Center. In a recent interview, Bill Born, vice president for student life, revealed what some of the new plans for the space might look like. “Right now, we're trying to work out the logistics,” Born said. He said a recent survey that the administration used to collect information from students, staff and community members helped provide feedback on how the space might be used to “meet people's expectations and needs” as best as they can. Born said some themes...
September 20, 2012
Pool filled in, what will fill its place?
Today, workers expect to pour the concrete floor where the pool once stood. When the floor is set, details including doors must be in place before people can access to the area, Bill Born, vice president of student life, said. Student Senate is currently taking suggestions for the pool space. Ideas can be submitted to billjb@goshen.edu. A pool forum for students will be help on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. in the RFC classroom.
January 26, 2012
Night at the RFC offered something for everyone
This past Friday, the Recreation-Fitness Center extended its hours to 1:00 a.m. so that students could stop in for food, recreation and considerable stress relief. All of the RFC’s usual services such as the rock wall and swimming pool were available, but several new options were also offered. Nearly 150 students packed the gym, lining up to participate in the many featured activities. Among these were an inflatable obstacle course and a moon bounce that doubled as a boxing ring. One student suggested that the padded contact sports were a much-needed means to release anxiety felt by otherwise nonviolent and stressed...