dcu sports complex

ronbyrne2005

hello,im a graduate of dcu(AF2003) want to use the new gym but they tell me theres no decent free weights unless your an "elite athlete",yet they are letting gaa players use this new "elite performance gym" even though half these guys have brutal form judging by some dublin senior players i saw training in the gym last year (before the new gym opened) with dangerous exercises and bad form.i have trained in dce gym since 1998 when it was in the small aerobics hall upstairs in old building.now i have to cycle several miles to a gym near dublin airport,i live on griffith avenue and cycle through dcu on my way to my new gym,everytime i pass through daytime evening weekend midweek the new "elite performance gym" is empty! there musnt be any elite athletes in dcu if this is anything to go by, yet the guy in charge of the sports complex wont open it up to advanced weight trainers(like myself) who arent on a high level team.the high performance gym seems a massive waste of money(i see they spent 10 million doing up the entire sports complex and i'd say at least a million went on the elite section) i thought i was the only one but i have been talking to literally dozens of former members of the gym(graduate and public members) who stopped paying membership after being informed they wouldnt be allowed to use equipment that evey other gym in ireland allows it members to use,it is effectvely discrimination against intermediate/avanced weight training individuals who dont happen to compete at a high level.
surely the current students in dcu could have this issue address by pressuring the president and others.many people arent joining the gym for this very reason so dcu is actually losing income from this as well as the lost investment in the white elephant that is the "elite performance gym"

28064212

Sentences, paragraphs? Also, is there an actual question you're asking or a point you're trying to form? Or is this just an information post?

OFDM

I haven't seen sentences that long in months. :eek:

You made good points about the "elite" athletes who use the "elite" gym not being very elite at all.

It's also ridiculous that if they spent "10 million euro" doing the place up, that the toilets and urinal in the men's changing room in the old building are still backed up as usual. And hot water in the showers still isn't guaranteed either.

Overall, the gym is geared towards making money and not towards providing a service for the students and staff.

ronbyrne2005

sorry for the lack of sentences in the above post.i was very tired at the time and looking at it now it is ridiculous!
yeah ,basically im asking if the dcu students as a body are gonna do anything about this crap in their college? the same thing happened when the bar was privatised etc.

28064212

Actually I don't find anything wrong with the gym as it is. €200 for a student for a year is a very reasonable price for what you're getting. I'm not a body builder in any shape or form, but I would use the weights (machines and free) and find them grand to use. During busy times (Monday/Tuesday evenings) it can get slightly busy, but not particularly awful.

I don't see why they don't open up the elite gym, maybe give the athletes preference if it happens to be busy, or charge a top up fee to standard members who want to use it, but it doesn't particularly bother me that they don't

rugbug86

the "elite" gym is for those on sports scholarships and the starting team/squad for certain clubs, but not all clubs. which kinda sucks.

apparantly people on the starting squad of any club who are also members of the gym get access to it, ive never checked though.

thewools

as a gaa head i use the "elite gym", in reply to your comments. The gym does be quite busy, usually first thing in the morning from 7 to 9 and after 6 as us students after all do have college to do in the mean time!
If others where to use these facilities it can slow down certain programmes. I found from using the dcu the last few years that when the gym was fully open; certain groups would hog certain weight exercises (eg bench etc) thus slowing the process.

So far athletes, the sigerson squad and certain other scholorships recipitants have access to the elite gym. Also i see the dublin senior panel use it too (at a tprice i presume)

ronbyrne2005

so a few elite athletes get preference over hundreds of students and graduates who would like to use proper free weights /benchs etc? also have observed many dublin senior players in the old gym(some not even students) "hogging" the benchs smith machine etc and for nearly professional athletes they had terrible weight lifting form and performed dangerous squatting exercise on the smith machine which is very dangerous for squatting as it is not a natural movement.
why dont they just have the "elite gym" open to elite athletes at certain times and the other members when theres no elite athletes booked in which seems to be most of the time!

cotillion

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

yeah ,basically im asking if the dcu students as a body are gonna do anything about this crap in their college?

No. As most people have my attitude.

segadreamcast

No offence to all of you - but I think these facilities should be preserved for the elite trainers. If you wanna use them that badly, get on a team.

rugbug86

NoelRock wrote:

No offence to all of you - but I think these facilities should be preserved for the elite trainers. If you wanna use them that badly, get on a team.

agreed!

28064212

NoelRock wrote:

No offence to all of you - but I think these facilities should be preserved for the elite trainers. If you wanna use them that badly, get on a team.

Define 'elite'

BlackWizard

All the members of the basketball team can get into the elite gym. Its was
built to improve the main college athletes. So you have to be on the first team
to get into the gym. So I presume other sports clubs are the same.

And E200 is good. But for an extra 100+ euro you can join a proper gym and get
an entire fitness routine made out for you by a trained instructor and there are
extra fitness classes also.

BlackWizard

Elite is used to make the serious first team players feel good. Dont take it so
seriously. They could of changed it to First team players gym but that sucks.
I prefere to be apart of the elite members. Would you not

EDIT: I should of put that in one post

ronbyrne2005

its a load of bull, i know many people in dcu who do weightlifting boxing rugby triatlons etc outside of dcu and cant do serious weight training because of this stupid rule. it wouldnt bother me so much if it was being used throughout the day by elite athletes but every time i pass through college and look up at elite gym its empty and lights are off in it.they should just have set hours for elite people or allow them to book times and then let non "elite" athletes in when the elite arent training

OFDM

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

they should just have set hours for elite people or allow them to book times and then let non "elite" athletes in when the elite arent training

I agree with this opinion, seeing as there's NO decent free weights in the new non-elite gym, this Elite gym should be open for gym members.

Personally I'd like to see three type of membership:
o Non-elite gym only membership
o Elite gym only membership
o Combined elite & non-elite membership

I have to reiterate the condition of the men's changing rooms in the old gym being ridiculous, and this after they've been apparently "done up".

Doyle

And rightly so!!! Keep everything for the elite athletes, thats what I say!

ronbyrne2005

passed trough dcu twice this evening at 7.30 and 9.30 which you would expect to be peak times for athletes to train and the "elite gym" was empty! if it was opened to non "elite" athletes at certain times then hundreds more would take out membership of the sports centre bringing more money into dcu for other purposes
p.s the ELITE GYM is now to be rechristened the EMPTY GYM

OFDM

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

p.s the ELITE GYM is now to be rechristened the EMPTY GYM

28064212

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

.....bringing more money into dcu for other purposes.

It's operated by a private company, I would imagine DCU don't get anything from it apart from a fixed leasing payment

ronbyrne2005

its not run by private company the chief executive ken robinson is employed by dcu as far as i know