Logan Mullen
Entertainment Editor
The yearly fitness extravaganza that the Springfield College Department of Campus Recreation proudly boasts is set to commence yet again.
“Fit Fest” is an interactive health and wellness fair held in the Field House at the College and has been an annual tradition for many years, dating back to before there was even a campus recreation department. The purpose is to bring in exhibitors from around the campus and city to hold a convention-style festival focused on health and fitness.
This year, the event will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 11a.m. until 2 p.m. and will feature 52 exhibitors, the most the event has ever seen. Of those 52, participants can expect to see lots of testing, but not the kind they are used to in the classroom. There will be a variety of agility, blood pressure, and body fat tests, among others, provided by exhibitors that range from on-campus groups to the American Heart Association and American Red Cross.
The wellness aspect will be highlighted by the 150-pound Great Dane named “Doug,” a trained therapy dog that will help stressed out students relax and have the ability to play with a dog, an opportunity seldom presented while at school.
In years past, the event has produced anywhere from 500-1000 participants from across the campus and city of Springfield and surrounding areas. Until supplies run out, participants who get 10 stamps (meaning they visited at least 10 exhibits) can get a campus-renowned Fit Fest t-shirt, which will be bright yellow this year.
The new feature to this year’s Fit Fest is the fact that there will be an adaptive exhibit to make the event wheelchair friendly. In past years, there has not been such a thing, making the event less inclusive, but with a campus-wide desire to make the college more disability-friendly, the adaptive exhibit with a wheelchair obstacle course was put into place this year.
Fit Fest has been a cornerstone of Springfield College’s Department of Campus Recreation. Every year, the department takes much pride in the event, and this year it promises to be bigger than ever, so be sure to get there early and come ready to learn and have a good time.