Men's Health Awareness

Throughout November, Ole Miss Campus Recreation sponsored several events and activities to promote men’s health awareness.

The goal of the campaign was to push the different mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of men’s health and wellness. During the duration of November, male students and men were invited to participate in activities like battle of the beards basketball, no shave November, and yoga classes called broga geared toward men. 

Most of the activities and promotions took place in the Turner Center and were advertised on the campus recreation website. Each Monday and Wednesday were deemed Mustache Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays. Men were encouraged to take a picture with fake mustaches or show off the progress of growing their own on Mondays, and each Wednesday featured a booth that focused on a different aspect of men’s health. 

Personal trainer and group fitness instructor Chelsea Stacks said it was nice to see so many students and men get involved with a good and healthy cause. She believes the project was a huge success overall.

“I think people kind of forget about men’s health sometimes because men are supposed to be viewed as macho,” Stacks said. “Dedicating a month toward health and wellness for men is fun to see and I think everybody really enjoyed it. I’m glad I can be a part of something that educates people and helps get them get healthier!”

Men’s health awareness month was started at Ole Miss about five years ago and has continued to grow in success. Many of the ideas and promotions at Ole Miss correlate with the national men's Movember movement which helps to raise awareness of men's health and stop men from dying too young. 

Fitness coordinator Andy Karch helped promote and direct many of the events during the campaign. Karch said his favorite part of this project was the battle of the beards basketball game because the students got a chance to play against the faculty and staff.

“Everybody playing got a free fake beard or mustache and it was hilarious,” Karch said. “We had games and stuff going on for the crowd too. It got really intense for everyone involved and our director Peter Tulchinsky actually shot the game winning three-pointer. People went nuts! The crowd was stellar.”

A large portion of the campaign at Ole Miss involved men’s prostate health. As a leading cause of death among males, prostate cancer is very intimidating.  Karch said it was a major focus of the promotion and they tried to provide prevention information and statistics surrounding cancer among men, such as the facts discussed in Men's Health Magazine.

Staff member Landon Wadkins participated in most of the events and said he learned a lot during the campaign. 

“The booths on Wellness Wednesdays were really cool,” said Wadkins, “I actually found out a good bit of information related to cancer and prevention that I didn’t know”.

With so much success, the staff of campus recreation hopes to make the men's health awareness campaign even bigger and better next year! Getting the word out around Oxford and other departments on campus is the ultimate goal. Staff member Zach Howard said he believes everyone can make a difference in this movement.

"Even women are important to men's health awareness and we really tried to push that this year," Howard said. "They can pass the info along to their brothers, fathers, boyfriends and husbands. Even if just one life is saved or one guy started early screening, we did our job."

Fit Defense Now Offered On Campus

https://youtu.be/Q-sKi4OqYEU

AmTrykes In Action

On Sunday Oct. 2, Ole Miss Campus Recreation hosted the event AmTrykes in Action to raise money for disabled veterans.

Eight teams with eight members on each team, competed in a 75-lap race around the circle on campus Sunday afternoon. Each entry fee was $100 ($12.50 per person) and all of the proceeds were donated toward the purchase of adaptable tricycles (AmTrykes) for veterans. The winning team received a care package from local sponsors that included several Ole Miss souvenirs. 

A total of 10 AmTrykes were given away and one of the AmTrykes will be presented to a chosen veteran at the Ole Miss football game Nov. 5.

Because it is more challenging for these individuals to operate a traditional bicycle and keep it going the adequate speed to stay upright, the AmTryke adaptable tricycle has provided a more accessible and stable alternative for veterans with disabilities who aspire to stay active.

Retired U.S. Army Staff Sargent Sabrina Price was one of the many veterans in attendance at the event. She served 24 years in the army and said this event means so much to her.

“I think it’s awesome that people care," Price said. "It’s amazing. It actually made me cry, and I’m not one to get emotional."

Event director Brittney Cable started AmTrykes in Action last fall and plans to keep it growing year to year. Cable said the goal of the event is to give back to the veterans who have given our country so much.

“We want to provide these veterans with an opportunity to gain independence and mobility,” Cable said. "We want to get them out there on a bike with their families to have some fun."

The AmTrykes given away on Sunday were assembled by volunteers from Ole Miss Campus Recreation, the Ole Miss Cycling Team, and others from the Oxford Community.

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“Everyone in the community has been awesome," Cable said. "We really are so thankful for everyone who’s helped make this happen."

Ambucs is the organization that sponsored the AmTrykes that were given away. This organization has given more than 500 AmTrykes to veterans and disabled children.

Ambucs MidSouth Director Gordon Brigman said he enjoys being able to give back to the veterans and working with different groups to sponsor AmTrykes for people in need.

“There’s no shortage of veterans that’s for sure," Brigman said. "Our goal is to make life a little easier for them."

Turner Center Improvements

Ole Miss is currently investing in new fitness equipment and upgrades for the Turner Center to further improve the fitness facilities on campus.

Some of the new equipment students can find in the Turner Center include, new treadmills, two new stair masters, space heaters in studio 125 (for hot yoga class), a large kettle bell for heavier training, and new dead lifting barbells. New rubber floors were also installed in the Turner Center over this past summer.

Fitness instructor Meghan Edwards said she believes attendance will continue to increase at the Turner Center as the University continues to grow. Edwards said she believes everyone has been pleased with the upgrades in progress at the Turner Center and these investments have made a big difference.

“I know we are trying to provide more options for students and newer equipment for everyone to enjoy,” said Edwards.

In addition to the equipment and floors, the Turner Center is also offering a variety of new group fitness courses including hot yoga, a cycle yoga class, and a rebel body boot camp that has brand new sleds, tires, and battle ropes for participants to use.

Turner Center Fitness Coordinator Andy Karch said the new additions to the facility are just the beginning for what lies ahead. Students can continue to find new pieces of equipment being added throughout the semester. Karch said he knows some of these upgrades have been much needed for a while, and the goal with the new purchases is to make a positive difference for students and faculty that use the Turner Center.

“I still use the Turner Center even though it can be really crowed. It’s nice to see the new stair masters and other equipment. It’s about time,” said Junior Hunter Mixon.

Many students have wondered about what will happen to the Turner Center when construction of the new fitness facility across campus is complete. As the smallest fitness facility in the Southeastern Conference, the Turner Center has been crowed for quite some time. With more than 20,000 students on campus now, equipment in the Turner Center has been used more often and by more people.

“The Turner Center is not going anywhere any time soon,” said Karch. “And this is why Ole Miss is investing in upgrades for the facility. The new facility will be twice the size of the Turner Center but it will also be on the far end of campus”.

With new equipment continually being added and options like the swimming pool that the new facility will not have, the Turner Center will remain on campus and perhaps be a more convenient fitness option for students and faculty because of its central location on campus.