Cauldron

Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Sports & Clubs

Media Credit: Amber Chemam Dodge ball serves as a Saturday work-out for senior marketing major Jenna Drake and senior business administration major Kathryn Hodge.

UST's new health club, the Women's Health Organization, seeks to promote physical and mental well-being among women, although men are also welcome to join.

President Kathryn Hodge, senior international studies major, founded the group with the desire to lead a healthier life. "Basically, we are an organization looking to help women who have common goals come together, network and achieve them together," Hodge said.

While the club cites physical fitness as a core principle, it also stresses nutritional education. Hodge said she hopes members will learn to eat well through the club.

WHO holds a group workout every Wednesday in the Old Bookstore to promote physical fitness.

"We would get a tape, and all the girls would do it together," WHO member Jenna Drake, senior marketing and Spanish major said.

Apart from the group workout, WHO also hosts games like dodgeball, volleyball, and kickball on Saturdays. The activities vary but members always meet at 11 a.m. on Saturdays in front of Guinan Hall.

"These are fun to do because it's not the traditional workout," Hodge said. "During kickball, we were sprinting all around and having a good time but the next day we were all sore."

To promote wellness, the group put together a packet for its members with general health information, including nutrition tips and ways to work out.

At its first meeting, WHO took a poll of the club members' goals. Responses ranged from weight loss to academic ambition. The members took stock of these goals and decided how to act upon them, Hodge said. They plan to display the goal sheets at their end-of-the-semester party in December.

In the future, Hodge said WHO members hope to hold different events and appeal to more women on campus. She also said she plans to have a guest speaker by the end of the semester.

"We are looking to bring in various people to talk to us," Hodge said. "Maybe some people like a fitness instructor, a dermatologist or even a [female] doctor."

She added that that WHO members hope to participate in the city-wide walks and marathons benefiting cancer and diabetes research.

Hodge said WHO also provides a forum for women to encourage each other and exchange support.

"What I hope to get out of my membership with WHO is a sense of being able to accomplish my goals with people that have similar goals," Drake said. "I like the idea of people with similar interests motivating each other."

Hodge stressed that men are not excluded from club membership. "It's a great opportunity for St. Thomas students to improve their lifestyle," Hodge said.

For more information regarding the Women's Health Organization, membership and future events contact Hodge at hodgekd@stthom.edu.

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