The new rec center at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) has taken student members from the Frog’s Fitness club that had been on campus. Photo courtesy of CSULB.

LONG BEACH, CA -- There’s no doubt that when California State University Long Beach (CSULB) opened its $70 million recreation center last August, it was a good thing for the university and its current and future student population.

In addition to the obvious health and fitness opportunities the 126,500-square-foot complex offers, research at several universities shows that students who get involved in on-campus activities, such as working out in the rec center, are more likely to return the next year.

But the facility’s opening wasn’t good news for everyone. In December, the Frog’s Fitness club that has been on the CSULB campus for 15 years announced that it would close its doors for good at the end of the month. Kari Bedgood, a spokesperson for Frog’s parent company, Club One, San Francisco, says the club had about 2,500 members before the student rec center opened, and about 700 to 800 of those members were students. The club’s membership levels started to drop immediately after the rec center’s opening, Bedgood says, and Frog’s could no longer extend the service levels its customers deserved and expected under the circumstances.

Despite that, the company is not placing the onus for Frog’s closing entirely on the new rec center.

“There were a number of factors that contributed to the closure of our club,” Bedgood says. “It’s difficult to say if things could have been done differently.”

The closure of Frog’s is a disappointment to many in the community who will now have to find a new place to work out. Unlike some other university rec centers today, CSULB’s new facility does not offer memberships to the general public. In an attempt to assuage any inconvenience when the club closed, Club One approached the university about extending privileges to its current members, but as of press time, a deal still seemed unlikely to Bedgood.

“Because the rec center was built and operates on student funding, a massive vote would be necessary to allow Frog’s members into the rec center,” she says. “Therefore, it does not look probable for our members getting access.”

However, there is some good news for the seniors and disabled club members who chose Frog’s for its specialized wellness center and physical therapy program—the club and the university have found a way to continue to offer these services. According to Bedgood, Frog’s Beach Wellness Center and Golden Aging program will remain in its current space until June. After that, CSULB’s College of Health and Human Services will take over the program and run it elsewhere on campus.

NEXT PAGE: FINDING COMPROMISE

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