Ben Martindale, Sports Editor
In recent years, gym culture has exploded in popularity across the U.S. A record high 81 million Americans have gym or fitness club memberships, according to the Health and Fitness Association.
Cary Street Gym, the only gym on the Monroe Park campus, is owned by VCU and operated by Recreation and Wellbeing, also known as RecWell. The location has been a beloved training ground for VCU students since it was first converted into a gym in the late 1970s. In 2007, the gym underwent major renovations to keep up with the ever growing student body.
“Cary Street Gym is awesome,” said Kyrie Curry, a fourth-year at VCU. “Cary St. is a beginner, intermediate, expert friendly gym. If you’re just starting or doing it for 10 years, it’s an awesome place to be.”
Training partners fourth-year Olivia McGowan and third-year Keilani Procopio have been training at the gym for years. They echoed Curry’s appreciation for the community feel at Cary St., but warned against training during peak hours due to overcrowding.
“When it gets crowded, you’re really fighting for the machines,” Procopio said.
Fourth-year Lynice Grimsby said that she enjoyed training at Cary St., but recommended people avoid the gym after 4 p.m. due to crowds. She said that while she’d still recommend the gym to friends, you may have to wait for machines or change your workout, depending on the time of day you train.
The staff at the gym recognized that overcrowding was an issue during peak hours, but approached the issue from a different perspective.
“We’re very fortunate to have the facilities we have and I think students are very appreciative of it,” said Meredith Hawkins, director of VCU RecWell. “I think at certain times of day we can’t keep up with the demand, so about the 3 to 9 range, we’re very crowded.”
Hawkins also said that facilities like basketball courts and outdoor fields were severely lacking compared to similarly sized peer institutions. She explained that because of VCU’s location in Richmond, it was hard to find the space to put additional facilities, but also acknowledged that VCU has bigger needs.
“We recognize the university needs a new student commons, and there’s other academic buildings that would probably take priority,” Hawkins said. “We’re fortunate enough to have the facilities we have. I would love to, down the road, maybe explore something, maybe in collaboration with another unit, but right now we’re working with what we have to the best of our ability.”
Syd Cope, a manager at Cary Street Gym and third-year VCU student, said that crowds sometimes lead to altercations between gym-goers, especially on the basketball court and that it’s the job of the staff to handle these situations. The altercations are never anything the staff cannot handle, Cope said.
Anthony Martelino, coordinator for facility operations at Cary St., acknowledged constraints VCU faced, namely being located in a city, but believes with compromise and a willingness to be flexible, Cary St. still provides everything a gymgoer might need.
In December, the MCV Campus Recreational Center will temporarily close as it moves locations and undergoes renovation, according to VCU. The rec center is scheduled to reopen in summer 2027.
Until the MCV rec center reopens, Cary Street Gym will serve as the lone gym for both the Monroe Park and MCV campus.
Despite the overcrowding problems they already face, the Cary St. staff is confident they will be ready to meet any additional demand.
“We are ready to welcome more people,” Martelino said. “If our professional students on the MCV campus want to continue working out, we’ve always been posing that Cary St. is ready to handle your needs as well.”