Virginia Tech Was Meant to THRIVE

Yancy Culp, founder of Yancy Camps and elite OCR coach and champion, recently conducted two days of THRIVE functional fitness training at Virginia Tech. The sessions, attended by student and faculty trainers from the school’s Recreational Sports department, were designed to help faculty and students realize the full potential of the THRIVE 900 fitness system installed on campus. 

Virginia Tech Campus Recreation is Making Outdoor Fitness Part of the Student Experience

“It’s exciting to see what Virginia Tech has done with their fitness space,” said Yancy Culp. “This is the first university in the United States to create a fitness area of this type for students and faculty, and they’ve installed everything near the dorms and in the midst of heavy foot traffic. This makes it easy for students to grab a quick workout during the day.”

Yancy demonstrated how to use each of the 20 stations on THRIVE 900, shared tips on how to motivate students to be mindful of health and wellness, and provided coaching on how to adapt training for people of all fitness levels. “This was a great workout,” said Amber Kohl, a sophomore at Virginia Tech and one of the fitness trainers with Recreational Sports. “It was intense and a lot of fun. I’m going to encourage all of my clients to use THRIVE as part of our training sessions.”

Amber Kohl (far left) and some of the many students and trainers who were part of the THRIVE sessions with Yancy

THRIVE is part of a larger campus recreation initiative designed by Ali Cross, Director of Recreational Sports at Virginia Tech. Her vision was to provide a central location for students to enjoy team sports and engage in outdoor exercise. “We program this space with small group training and special events, but we love seeing students and faculty stopping by for a quick workout on the way to their next class,” said Cross. “There are four residential halls with 4,000 students around this central fitness area. THRIVE really is the centerpiece of the park and it gets a lot of use. Feedback from students has been very positive. The project is a complete success.” 

The THRIVE 900 system was installed by Cunningham Recreation, GameTime's exclusive representative in Virginia. It is a popular addition to the  recreational sports area that also includes two beach volleyball courts, two basketball courts and a large open greenspace. 

Ali Cross discusses the success of the THRIVE fitness park

GameTime will be sponsoring a new event on the last Friday of each month called Fitness Fridays through the end of 2019. The campus-wide program will encourage students and faculty to gather and enjoy an evening of fun and exercise in this innovative fitness space.

To bring the THRIVE experience to your campus or park, contact the GameTime representative in your area.

About GameTime: GameTime is a leading manufacturer outdoor fitness equipment for universities, parks and fitness centers. Headquartered in Fort Payne, Alabama, and with distribution around the world, our products combine research with thoughtful design to create recreation spaces for people of all ages and abilities. We bring together the right corporate, civic and nonprofit partners to build healthy, active communities that make the world a better place for children and families.

About Virginia Tech Recreational Sports: The Recreational Sports department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)  provides opportunities for student, faculty, and staff to engage in physical activities to create healthy lifestyle habits. They provide small group training, intramural sports, outdoor adventures and more in cutting-edge indoor and outdoor fitness and recreation facilities.