Assignment #2

Introduction

We have learned about many different forms of leisure and the different places that offer leisure to individuals. There are different categories of these organizations that offer leisure. They include private-membership, public agencies, non-profit organizations, commercial businesses, campus recreation and others. In the following paragraphs we will compare and contrast three different organizations that offer leisure opportunities. The three organizations are: Glenview Public Park Center, the Orange and Blue Golf Course, and the ARC. We will describe the goals and objectives of each venue, how they are funded, who they serve, their strengths and weaknesses, and if they meet their goals.



Goals/Objectives

All three agencies have the underlying purpose of offering leisure to the public, however each agency has its own specific goals and objectives in how it will attain this purpose. The Glenview Public Park Center’s objective is to provide a public recreation site big enough to offer leisure to everyone in the Glenview community and enhance Glenview’s attractiveness for visitors and tourism. The Orange and Blue Golf Course strives to offer a place for people to golf, practice, snack, and socialize with a focus on University of Illinois students. In a similar respect, the ARC aims at providing opportunities for student recreation and jobs.

Agency funding

Although our organizations are very different, they all have one thing in common. They are all partially funded through fees. The Glenview Public Park Center is open to the public, but it charges fees for some of the activities available. The Orange and Blue Golf Course charges fees to people that wish to play golf or use the driving range. This can also be covered by a yearly membership fee. Similarly, the ARC charges all University of Illinois students a membership fee through tuition. For non-students, yearly memberships and daily passes can be purchased. Fees alone though do not cover the entire cost of operations at these facilities. For example, taxes and donations of the citizens of Glenview help fund the Public Park Center. The golf course and the ARC are additionally funded by the University of Illinois.



Individuals the agencies serve

Each of these facilities offers service to a wide range of people. The Glenview Park Center serves the people of Glenview and the surrounding area. Non-residents are charged an additional fee to use the center. The Orange and Blue Golf Course serves everyone that wants to use it but is focused on those interested in golf. The third place, the ARC serves students and faculty and those that pay for membership. The ARC and the Glenview Park Center have a more limited focus on the people they serve. The ARC aims at serving the students of the university and faculty members. The Glenview Park Center's focus lies in the residents of Glenview. However, the Orange and Blue Golf Course does not have a set target demographic. A similarity between the three is that while the first two are slightly limiting who they serve, there are no extreme regulations excluding patrons from the facilities. A similarity between the Orange and Blue Golf Course and the Glenview Park Center is that they offer leisure for all ages. However, the ARC does not. Its programs are geared at the adult public, with a focus on the students and faculty, and not children.

Key Program Elements

Compared to the ARC, the Glenview Park Center offers much more aquatic leisure and serves a greater variety of people. The park center not only has a lap pool, but also has a water slide, Jacuzzi, and warm water therapy pool. The lap pool is the ARC’s only aquatic feature.

However, the ARC provides a greater variety of physical leisure then the Glenview Park Center and Orange and Blue Golf Course. Physical leisure ranges from weight lifting to Wii Bowling. Even though the Glenview Park Center has a workout facility, the ARC has much more equipment. With a wide variety of activities, the ARC hosts large masses of people.

The Orange and Blue Course is the only agency out of the three that offers outdoor leisure directly at their location. It also differs from the Glenview Park Center and the ARC, by providing a different type of transportation in allowing their golfers to drive the golf carts. In addition, customers must pay for rentals unlike the ARC and park center where you are allowed to borrow for free.



Strengths/Weaknesses

As we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the organizations in question, it is a good idea to think about how the various programs can have some very similar attributes, as well as contrasts. For example, one of the strengths that these agencies all had in common was their variety in leisure. While this may seem as a similar strength, it may surprise you to see the difference of variety within these groups. The Glenview Public Park Center, which is known for its state of the art architecture, provides activities for all age groups. It includes education programs, cultural activities, as well as detailed training programs for employees. The Orange and Blue Golf Course provides two separate courses with 18 holes of golf to make sure the users do not get burned out playing the same course. When it comes to the ARC, there are no additional fees to pay and most leisure activities do not require students to pay additional money on top of their tuition. They also have an efficient check-in process.

With strengths come weaknesses, and these agencies show us a few examples of this. The weakness regarding the Glenview Public Park Center lies within its fees. The fees they charge leave out lower income families. Also, they charge higher fees to non-Glenview residents, which limits their willingness to become a member. The Golf Course provides seasonal leisure, so during the winter months there are no times of profit. The clubhouse is also small in size and has a disorganized layout. When it comes to the ARC, there are minimal therapeutic activities for post-workouts or physical leisure such as a hot tub. In addition, the weight room can at times be overcrowded.

Do The Organizations Fulfill Their Purposes?

Each one of these organizations fulfills their goals and objectives in most ways. The ARC and Orange and Blue Golf Course fulfill theirs completely. Although they all continue to make improvements to make sure their goals and objectives are achieved, they have fulfilled their goals in different ways. As stated earlier, the Orange and Blue Golf Course has the goal to provide the public a place to golf, practice, snack and socialize. Not only have they achieved that goal, but they have become the home of the Men's and Women's Illinois Golfing Team. It has continued to stay popular among students because of the good deals. The golf courses, driving range and club house all remain busy throughout the day as well. The ARC has also fulfilled their goals and objectives. They have provided student recreation and job opportunities. Similar to the Orange and Blue Golf Course, the ARC is becoming an extremely popular place for leisure. The ARC provides students with intramural activities, sports clubs, social activities and entertainment. Students are also able to gain work experience there and make money while doing it or receive a tuition reduction. The ARC offers many leisure opportunities for students, and the majority of campus takes advantage of them. Unlike the previous two industries, the Glenview Public Park Center does not fully fulfill its goals and objectives. Its goal was to offer the entire Glenview community a place for leisure as well as making Glenview a better tourist area. Although the Park Center is able to serve most of the community, it is unable to serve the entire community. It does offer leisure to all age groups and cultures, but it may exclude some families with low income. It excludes this group because of the fees it charges community members when using the facility. However, the Park Center does a good job of listening to the community to make sure its needs are met. It has made recent additions to make the pool a more accessible place for the elderly and handicapped. The state of the art building has also been a good tourist attraction for the town. The three organizations do a good job fulfilling most of their goals, but only the Orange and Blue Golf Course and the ARC fully meet their goals.

Conclusion

We have analyzed some of these different places in several categories and weighed the positive and negative aspects of each one. In comparing and contrasting these three leisure organizations we found many variations of similarities and differences. Each organization is unique in its own way, but it is not difficult to see similarities among the three. Through this project we have discovered more about the various leisure types and places that offer ways to practice it. Overall, this project has helped us gain insight on the diverse leisure types and how they function in society.

Dustin Stern-Glenview Public Park Center

I chose to look into the Glenview Park Center, partly because I used to work there. I wanted to find out what kind of public leisure this agency offered. This state of the art facility offers some of the best public recreation in the state of Illinois. It was the winner of the 2001 Illinois Park and Recreation Association’s award for Outstanding Multiple Use Facility. The Glenview Park Center offers many kinds of recreation for the community.

History:
The Park Center opened in 2001, in the same place that the Glenview Naval Air Academy used to be. The state of the art building was made possible through major donations and tax dollars from the citizens of Glenview. It was made because there had never really been a public recreation site in Glenview big enough to offer leisure to everyone in the Glenview community. It was also developed to make Glenview a more attractive place for visitors and more specifically, tourism.

What Employment Opportunities Are There?
You may be asking yourself, “How can I work at this fine facility and what different jobs are there?” As a former employee, I only have the best things to say about it. I was a lifeguard at the indoor water park, but there are many more jobs available. You can be a physical trainer, a camp counselor, a secretary, a concession manager. For careers, there are management and supervisory positions for each wing in the park center such as aquatics, fitness, camps and classes. For more information, visit http://www.applitrack.com/glenviewparks/onlineapp/ .

Current Trends and Issues:
Although the last eight years have been running smoothly, the local government is doing what it can to improve the park center. There had been a problem that the indoor pool was not senior friendly. Just recently, the park center installed a warm water therapy pool. This is for people who are going through muscular therapy, or the elderly who use it to help them exercise. The local government is always listening to suggestions to make the park center a better place for leisure for the whole community.


The Agency’s Definition of Leisure:
I was fortunate enough to talk to Mitch Forney, the head of aquatics at the Glenview Park Center. I asked him what his view on leisure was. He said, “Leisure - for an individual, is any activity that allows a person an outlet to do something in their free time that they enjoy and can relieve stress and bring a level of happiness to their life. Leisure in the family setting offers a family an escape from the "everyday" and an opportunity to improve their bond and bring their family closer together through a variety of activities and settings (whether physical or mental).” As the book said, they are determined to offer socially useful or constructive programs. He also told me that due to the size of the park center, they get to offer many different leisure activities to a variety of populations. Whether it is foreign languages, senior tap dance classes, adult pottery, special events, swim lessons, sports camps, or anything else you can think of, the Park Center offers it. “Glenview does not just settle with average activities one at a time, but strives to bring something unique to the table for everyone, no matter what stage they are at in their lives.” He said.
Here are some of the different features of the park center:

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The Glenview Park Center’s award winning indoor pool facility, Splash Landings, offers year round swimming. For a small fee, patrons can take swim lessons, swim laps, swim for recreation, partake in warm water therapy and even have birthday parties. Funded heavily by tax dollars, Splash Landings is one of the most popular attractions at the Glenview Park Center.



The Park Center also offers a full court, 8 hoop basketball gym as well as a state of the art work out facility. These help maintain the physical health of the community by offering multiple ways of exercise. The basketball courts and workout facility charge a fee of five dollars a session, or there is the option of buying a year long pass.



The Lakeview room has something different happening in it every day. It is a room that looks over Lake Glenview and holds many different events. It holds anything from birthday parties to wedding receptions to important business meetings.



My Experience:
I was able to find out what is like to have a career in this agency. Some of the pros were that it is a consistently changing field and you don’t stay at a stationary desk. An employee has the ability to network and work with some of the leaders in the industry. I found that some of the cons were that part of the profit you get is out of your control and solely dependent on the weather. You also have to work with an extremely demanding clientele due to the area that the park center is located in. I believe that a career at the Glenview Park Center would be a rewarding experience. Being a part of people’s happiness and recreation would be very satisfying for me. This park center is extremely important to the well being of Glenview and it was a pleasure to be a part of it when I worked there. The park center offers public leisure. The reason that it falls under this category is because it aims to serve the entire public. The programs it offers are also socially useful in many ways and it is funded by tax dollars and fees to the public. The Glenview Park Center is a place that offers public leisure in many forms and is extremely important to the town of Glenview and its citizens.

Jared Wheeler - Orange and Blue Golf Course

I visited the University of Illinois Orange and Blue Golf Course. This golf course is open to the public. The facility includes two 18 hole courses, driving range, pro shop, and snack bar. The course is used by young and old alike so the people that seek leisure here are very diversified.



The golf course is located south of Champaign in Savoy, Illinois, near the airport. The Orange course was built in 1950. A second 18 hole course was later added in 1966. This course was named the Blue Course. Both are 18 hole championship courses. The university golf teams use this course as their home course.



Most of the job opportunities available at the golf course are part time seasonal jobs. There are a few full time positions however. Seasonal jobs include snack shop workers, maintenance workers, grounds keepers, and workers in the pro shop. The maintenance workers clean the golf carts and pick up the balls at the driving range and the grounds keepers keep the course mowed. The full time jobs are management positions.



Golfing is currently on a down swing according the manager. This is most likely due to the economy. This time of year is especially bad for the course because of the weather. The main golfing season is throughout spring, summer, and fall. Golf should be on the up swing again as soon as the economy does the same.



The manager of the course didn’t have an exact definition of leisure. He said that they are there to provide a place for people to golf and the snack bar is there in case the golfers get hungry or thirsty. They also offer a pro shop which sells golfing necessities.



The golf course would make a good job for someone in college or high school just looking for a summer job. It would be hard to make a full time career out of it. Sense golf is not a year long sport it makes it hard to staff people full time. I would consider working there over the summer to make some money but that’s about it. I would look for a career somewhere else. The only way to get on full time would most likely be to replace someone else which doesn’t happen very often.

Elizabeth Fitzgerald- Assignment 1

I chose to research Bally Total Fitness. This agency is a worldwide club that anyone can become a member of if they want to. Bally Total Fitness offers a wide variety of workout equipment, programs, and personal training. Any age group is allowed and encourages to join. The intent is for people that want to get or stay in shape and be healthy. Bally Total Fitness is a great place for anyone that wants to take part in this type of leisure.



Bally Total Fitness is a unique place for working out which has given it its fame today. It has divided up into different smaller franchises across the country. There are more than 30 of these franchises today. The Lions Manufacturing Company founded Bally Total Fitness in 1931, changing its name to Bally Manufacturing. Bally Manufacturing purchased different kinds of clubs and the whole thing took off. Now the headquarters of Bally are in Chicago, Illinois.



Bally Total Fitness offers many different employment opportunities. Opportunities range from working as a receptionist at the front desk to being a personal trainer working one on one with the members. More jobs include life guarding at certain locations and the sales of equipment. One way to get your foot in the door at Bally Total Fitness is to attend to many career fairs and employment events held at a number of locations across the country. At certain locations there is even specific training that Bally offers to its future employees.



In 2007, Bally Total Fitness declared bankruptcy. They were over 700 million dollars in debt. To me this shows that today more and more people are doing their leisure on their own in their homes and on their own. With the economy not in good shape people are less willing to pay to be a member of a certain organization and would rather save their money and do leisure themselves. However, Bally is still trying to climb out of their debt. One thing they might plan on doing is breaking down into smaller organizations in hopes of relieving their debt.



This organizations definition of leisure is one of exercise and working out. People that are interested in feeling better and relaxing by being active would enjoy the leisure activities at Bally Total Fitness. Bally allows people to workout when they want to and how they want. They are about attaining goals, staying healthy, and staying in shape with physical activity.

I enjoyed my experience with Bally Total Fitness. The people there were friendly and helpful. However, I do not think I would like to make a career there. It just seems too up and down for me. Especially with its declaration of bankruptcy, I would not feel confident in holding and enjoying a job at this agency. The pros of working there would be the people you work with believe in the same leisure as you, you would get to practice leisure and work out for free, and you would be able to help others enjoy their leisure. This agency is a private membership organization, but it is not very exclusive. Anyone can join even though the target audience would most likely be young single adults. Another barrier to this agency is the membership fee. Not everyone is able to pay to work out an organization like Bally.

Steve Boersma - ARC (Activites and Recreation Center)

[Main entrance on 2nd and Peabody]
I recently visited the Activities and Recreation Center to gain a better understanding of how Campus Recreation is utilized at the University of Illinois. By taking a look at the many different programs that the ARC has to offer, one can see exactly how influential recreation can be in an individual’s life. During my visit, I was able to gain a stronger idea of how campus recreation functions and the purposes it has to serve the campus.

[Basketball courts]
The ARC, formerly known as the IMPE, opened in 1971 and was originally the Intramural-Physical Education Building. After shutting down in 2005 for repair, the building opened again in 2008 as what we all know as the “ARC.” It is located on 2nd and Peabody, and serves the campus for both its recreation and activity needs.

[Weight room located in the basement]
The ARC offers several job opportunities for interested individuals. You are required to attend an information session, submit an application along with a resume with cover letter, and complete an interview. Job options at the ARC include event and facility management, group fitness, intramural activities, personal trainers, or certified lifegaurd.


[sunbathers at the outdoor pool]
The Activities and Recreation Center is doing very well. The Arc tends get very busy at night, however many individuals do not have to wait to use machines so they remain quite happy and satisfied. On warmer days many people use the pools to swim or sunbathe. Intramurals are an additional activity that students become very excited to participate in, and are a big part of campus recreation.

[Rock wall]
The ARC’s name, Activities and Recreation Center, provides us with the main benefit that it strives to achieve, campus and community improvement. An employee of the ARC defined its leisure as an opportunity to supply the campus with activities that can refresh someone’s mind or body after a long day of school or work. This holds true through the many programs that are offered to the students.


[The cardio/weight area on the upper level overlooks the main entrance]
Campus Recreation is one of the ten major categories of service providers that make up the leisure –service delivery system. It includes intramural athletics or sports clubs, social activities, trip-and-travel programs, performing arts groups, entertainment, lounges, film series, and many other forms of recreation on university campuses. Campus recreation provides individuals with both positive and negative aspects when it comes to having a job. For example, a student can have the luxury of earning money while at the same time working on a quality education. You do not have to worry as much as to whether or not you think you will be able to make it through the school year, because you can work your way through the school year earning money. However, if you are working and earning money then you are not working on your education. Therefore, you might begin to have difficulty with classes and grades can suffer. An additional positive to holding a job in the campus recreation field is that you work with people the majority of the time and you develop leadership skills that are valuable in life, while having fun at the same time.

Illinois Ice Arena

This past week I explore the Illinois Ice Arena to develop a better understanding of its history, employment, and its impact of recreation and leisure on the community. The staff was very friendly and willing to help me in my exploration. I learned some interesting facts about the facility and increased my knowledge of how a sport management organization functions and provides to the public.

The Illinois Ice Arena was built in 1932 from contributions by private donors through the University of Illinois. The arena was built much larger than it is today for the sport of speed skating. It was shortened in the 1970s to support ice hockey, however its size is larger than an Olympic sized. Teams from out of town would joke about the size of the ice and it developed the nickname “the pond.”

Today the arena offers several staff opportunities for students. A facility assistant fulfills jobs such as cashier, concessions, skate check, cleaning, etc. The customer service assistant manages the staff and office. The Zamboni driver maintains the ice. There are also opportunities for non-students, for example event manager who organizes and handles public skates and ice sports.

Currently, the ice arena is for the most part stable. It has developed a few niches in recent years. Skate rentals now include hockey skates, making skaters more pleased with their rental preference. The café has also experienced some changes. In addition to typical concession items, it provides items such as Pop-Tarts, Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sandwiches, and delicious hot chocolate.

An employee of the Illinois Ice Arena defined its leisure as a gateway to provide the community with many opportunities for ice related sports. It offers leagues to a wide range of ages (youth, college, senior). In addition to playing ice related sports, the venue provides public skates and entertainment.

My experience at the Illinois Ice Arena was very rewarding. As a student, I believe that this facility provides a great opportunity to gain experience in a sport management organization. If one is truly passionate about the ice and enjoys the working in the facility, it could be very enjoyable to work at the arena as an adult; however, I feel that there are limited promotions. The employee I spoke with said that there hasn’t been much change at the ice arena. There has been minimal growth in the past 40 years, due to finances or management. I think this has a good representation on the future of the agency. The Illinois Ice Arena delivers great opportunities for ice related recreation for all ages by providing to the university, with over 40,000 students and faculty, and to the communities of surrounding areas.