Half Acre Gymnasium

Half Acre is the main recreation, fitness, and wellness center at the University of Wyoming’s main campus. The facility includes a strength and cardio center equipped with over 100 pieces of fitness equipment, a pool & spa, rock wall, and courts for various sports. Other than the library, the gym is perhaps one of the busiest buildings on campus. Faculty, staff, and students of all ages use the gym to maintain their physical and mental health.

The presence of Half Acre on UW’s campus is an example of how important bodily maintenance and control have become in contemporary society. As sociologist Christ Shilling puts it, “there has in recent years been an increased concern… from people in general to adopt a reflexive orientation towards their embodied identities” (from The Body & Social Theory, pp. 34). In other words, people have become more interested in controlling their body. This not only refers to control over the body’s functions and health but also the body’s appearance. Shilling points out that athletics and fitness have been one of the most obvious ways that people “transformed” and “improved” their bodies (The Body & Social Theory, pp. 41).

This idea of the body as a physical characteristic to be altered and even customized, in a sense, is indicative of a more posthuman conception of the body. The human body is not static; it is not an easily definable entity with neat boundaries. Rather, it is constantly changing, whether through medical procedures, exercise, or even the “natural” process of aging. Half Acre Gym shows us how we undergo this process of bodily change and control on a daily basis.

For more information about Half Acre Gymnasium, visit: http://www.uwyo.edu/rec/facility-hours-and-information/facilities/index.html