ZUMMBAA

Storyboard

This is my Storyboard for my digital short on Zumba. This is only the rough draft so it will probably look different in a few days when I finalize everything I'm doing. It consists of pictures and video while I narrate in the background.

Digital Short: ZUMBAAAA

Are you ready to party yourself into shape? That’s exactly what Zumba is all about! It’s an exhilarating, easy to follow fitness dance party that’s moving millions of people toward joy and health. Since its inception in 2001, Zumba has become the world’s largest and most successful dance fitness program with more than 10 million people of all shapes, sizes and ages taking classes in over 110 countries.

Zumba began when Alberto “Beto” Perez, an aerobics instructor, left his house one day without his traditional aerobic music. He improvised by using his own mix of tunes in his backpack (salsa and meringue music he grew up with). Referred to as the “happy accident”, he created a new type of fitness dance that is all about letting the music move you instead of counting rhythms. In 2001, he brought the fitness dance concept to Miami, Florida and with the help of two entrepreneurs, started the Zumba Fitness, LLC. http://www.zumba.com/about/

As a member of the YMCA, I have been a participant in the Zumba fitness class that is taught four days a week there. It doesn’t even feel like a work out!

I got the privilege of interviewing one of my favorite instructors named Alleyne Schobol. She has been teaching Zumba for three years and other than being a stay at home mom calls her job at the Y an “expensive hobby”. I asked her why she chose to be a leader in Zumba and her response, “I felt so sexy working out that I wanted to show others how fun and easy it was”.

The Zumba dance steps are fairly easy to learn. Although the instructors don’t spend much time spelling it out for you, you can just pick up the steps while watching everyone else as you move to the beats. For a straight hour you not only sweat your butt off, but you also feel sexy as you do it.

One question people might have is if Zumba is for only a specific gender and age? No! Both men and women of all ages and of all shapes and sizes attend this work out class and most everyone enjoys the music. Although there might be some up-tempo hip hop and rap songs, the lyrics are clean so that the young and even the old will appreciate it.

While my focus is on what is appealing to Americans at the YMCA, I feel that this class alone is one main reason many women join the Y. Instead of paying a lot of money for each Zumba class you might take at a private dance studio, you get the same class plus a whole lot more if you become a member of the Y.

(Show some video of a Zumba class)

Project Update

Done:
*Interviewed 3 people
*Observation
*Intro to Paper
*Half of methods section in paper

To do:
*Interview at least 2 more people
*Prepare pictures and video for digital short
*Finish methods section

Intro to YMCA Paper

The YMCA

When I was in high school, I was continually left out of an important part of my friends daily after school activity. They were all members of the YMCA and would go there to work out. My family wasn’t members at the time therefore I wasn’t allowed to go without paying a ten dollar fee each visit. I remember telling my mom that my friends were so rude because they eventually quit telling me where they were going because they knew I couldn’t go anyway. At that time in my life, being a member of the Y meant so much that my friendships were altered because of it.

Today however, my family pays a monthly fee to be members of the YMCA. Out of the four people in my family, my seventeen year old sister and I use it most. My mom will go on occasion, and my dad has only been once at which time he was filmed in a music video, so he swore he would never return. By being a member of the YMCA, I have an insider’s perspective into my fieldwork site of choice.

The YMCA, or Young Men’s Christian Association, was founded by George Williams in London in 1844. This was a time of great turmoil and despair. For the young men who came to London to try and find jobs, there wasn’t much to offer. Troubled by what he saw, George Williams started the first YMCA with eleven people as a refuge of bible study and prayer for men around the area (ymca.net). The Y was unique because it strived to “meet social needs in the community and its openness to members crossed the rigid lines separating English social classes” (ymca.net).

“Years later a retired Boston sea captain, Thomas Valentine Sullivan, worked as a marine missionary and noticed that there was a similar need to create a safe ‘home away from home’ for sailors and merchants” (ymca.net). He was inspired by the stories of the YMCA in London and decided to form one here in the United States. On December 29, 1851, the first U.S. YMCA was formed at the Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts (ymca.net).

Overtime, the YMCA built housing to give young men moving to cities from rural areas safe and affordable lodging. Facilities included gyms, auditoriums and hotel style rooms. In 1861, a conference with President Abraham Lincoln led to a full-scale recruitment of YMCA volunteers that eventually totaled 5,000 (ymca.net) http://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html.

As the years pass, the YMCA continues to flourish not only as a place for members to work out, but also as a place of community and fellowship. Most people don’t think of the YMCA as a spiritual place, but it was built around Christian influences. If you take the time to look around, you will notice words, slogans and multiple brochures advertising small groups, bible studies, words of wisdom and spiritual vitamins.

Archive Piece from the YMCA

When visiting the "Y", members will notice brochures, pamphlets, schedules and all kinds of other material on tables, walls and shelves that help to make people aware of what is offered at the YMCA. One piece of material that I brought to class was a pamphlet of YMCA Small Groups.

When people think of the YMCA, they think of a friendly, caring and spiritual environment. The YMCA does a great job of showing what they stand for. This sheet discusses small groups at the "Y" that anyone can get involved in. Most of them are either eight week or fifteen week classes that allows members to interact with others and answers questions about different topics. For example, one of the eight week classes is titled "Journey to a Life of Courage" where participants can learn how to overcome fears of rejection, abandonment and perfection and build a life of faith, surrender, passion and courage.

By giving members an opportunity to interact with peers, answer tough questions, and just discuss life overall, it helps bring the YMCA community closer and become more of a large family. I believe that the "Y" purposefully formatted these groups so that they seemed more relaxed and discussion based rather than a bible study. This helps to attract those people who might not be very religious but want to interact with people who they can talk to about tough situations in life and become a better person.

Three Cups of Tea

The book Three Cups of Tea is a book about a man who stepped out of his comfort zone into another country and another culture to fulfill his calling by teaching children about equality, acceptance and perserverance through education. When you initially read the title, it doesn't mean anything to you until you dive deeper into the context. After learning what this title, Three Cups of Tea meant, it made me think of how much hard work went into this book and this story. We see how important it is to build relationships and listen to others with a kind humility. Greg Mortenson obviously accomplished this and earned the respect of many people who will never forget what he did for their community.

Does this book do a good job of conveying a culture?
Yes, I believe it does. Mortenson describes everything in such detail that it helps readers to feel a personal connection with him as if they were living the story in the book. It helped me to see what kinds of things go on in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, those things that I thought I knew about but really had no idea. One example that hit me was when he was talking about the children doing arithmetic in the dirt. I thought about how the dirt will eventually wash away and their arithmetic will only be a memory in their minds. A piece of paper or a pen is something we just take for granted but by reading this book, it made me aware of those little things in life that I should appreciate more.

Does the writing engage you? What techniques does the author use?
The writing is very engaging because the author does a wonderful job of allowing you to picture everything that goes on during Mortenson's adventures both at home and in Pakistan. Although this book was wonderful, it is a challenging piece because it's not a book to skim. You have to read each word and sometimes pause to understand what has just been said. The names are difficult to pronounce and sometimes you must read ahead in order to understand a passage completely.

Overall, I thought this book was a written form of a wonderful story. Greg Mortenson will die knowing that he has fulfilled his duty and allowed children of Afghanistan and Pakistan to learn skills that they can build lives upon and cherish forever.

Update: 3/14/11

This is for Professor Lovvorn:

An update on my blogs. I have been traveling out of town for golf so haven't been in class as much. I am trying to keep up with my blogs. I have only done one interview but I have taken field notes at the YMCA. I plan to do another interview or two this week. I have been reading the Three Cups of Tea and I am sure that I will need to post a blog about it soon. When I get back to class on Wednesday I will find out and do the assignment.

Update 3/14/11

Interview #1 Thomas

Thomas: 20 year old baseball player; Navy ROTC midshipman....

Name some reasons why you workout at the YMCA:
-working out is important to me to stay in the best physical shape I can; weights are important for lifting; cardio is important for athletes in training; group fitness classes; access to pools, basketball/raquetball courts; yoga classes are important for me to stay limber.

How is the community atmosphere at the Y?
-atmosphere is friendly; don't feel pressured or awkward there; meet a lot of people; socialize with people you normally wouldn't because you both clearly have something in common.

What is the main reason you use the Y?
-my parents pay for it

How long have you been a member?
-only a year or so

Would you have utilized the YMCA earlier in life if you could have?
-no because I would have only been able to use the basketball courts or the pool; the YMCA is good for teens and up.

Why do you believe the YMCA is so successful above another regular gym?
-It is Christian based so there are good influences and good people; a lot of options for working out and other activities.

What is it like in a men's locker room?
-older men or men coming and going to work use it most; older men utilize the showers; it seems that men 60 and up tend to linger more and lock their things away in the lockers.

Do you think there is a certain dress that people wear while working out?
-Depends on gender and age. Older men with high school kids aren't as much into fashion, they usually wear sweat pants and old holey T-shirts; men in their 20s and 30s seem to have the coordinated bright colored outfits; after the holidays is when you should expect to see people wearing better outfits because they got them for Christmas for their New Year's Resolution to get in shape.

English Class

Hey Thomas,

We are supposed to write a letter to a family member or friend telling them how our class is going this semester. I am in third year writing at 8:00 AM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today is the day before spring break starts and I am especially tired. Usually by 7 AM I'm up and ready to go, but not today.
I like my teacher, Professor Lovvorn. I have had him before so that's why I picked him for this semester's class. He is a great teacher and is very knowledgable on the subject. There are pros and cons to taking his class.
First, I enjoy just writing posts like this on my blog every couple of days. It's nice not to have to worry about tests or quizzes on the readings. However, he has assigned us to do a 15-20 page paper at the end of the semester to grade. That's it. So without a time schedule and due dates periodically for this assignment, I am kind of procrastinating which is not in my nature. It seems like it's going to be a fun project, but I am also a little worried about making the time between golf, school work and class to go to these places and gather information.
We also have assigned readings that I can hardly find time to do. They are REALLY LONG readings! I dont even know how the professor has time to read it all. I find that the readings are boring and are things that we should just refer to if we have questions during our paper, not something that we need to read every detail. I could skim 40 pages and get the gist of what the writer is saying. However, I see how he feels that it will help us with this semester-long project.
For my project, I am studying the culture of the YMCA. I know how much you love to go to the YMCA and I will be interviewing you soon with questions as to why it is so appealing to someone your age. I am going to have to make time over my spring break to go to different "Y's" and take notes and talk to people. I have a feeling everyone is going to look at me like "what?" when I tell them what I am doing. Oh well! I just hope I can gather 15-20 pages worth of information!
Well, that it pretty much it! Hope you do well in your baseball game!

Love you bunches!
Jennifer

Glossary of Words for the YMCA Culture

These are some words that insiders of the YMCA culture would know and possibly some outsiders.

1. "The Y": most everyone that attends the YMCA on a regular basis don't refer to it as the YMCA, they shorten it to "the Y".
2. Group Fitness: this is the term used for group fitness classes. Most people might know what this is but YMCA folks refer to it at group fitness.
3. Zumba: This is a popular term for women these days. Its a dance class that is continually growing in popularity. Its a mix of hip hop and salsa dancing. Most women LOVE this class and if you aren't a member at the YMCA or other recreation center, most likely you will not know what "zumba" means. It's a fabulous class thats fun and gives you a workout all at the same time!
4. Movie Room: I know that this is a term most people who attend the Maryland Farms YMCA will know. This YMCA has a movie room where you can go on a machine or lift weights in a dark, cold room while working out.
5. Spiritual Vitamins: These are little slips of paper with bible quotes on them when you enter or exit the YMCA that are free for anyone to take.

Practice Interview

Jenny

What is a hobby of yours?
-running
How long have you been running?
-since Freshman year of college
What made you decide to take up running?
-I swam in highschool, and when I came to Belmont, they didn't have a swim team so I decided to start running
What does running do for you physically, mentally and emotionally?
-It keeps me in shape, it's a mental challenge and it gives me an endorphin high afterwards. I always think of this quote: "I will never regret getting out of bed, but I will always regret staying in bed".
What are marathons like?
-Well ive only run 2 but they start out good and by the end you are glad its over. The last marathon I ran though, I passed an army guy that they had on the ground doing CPR and he ended up dying, so that was sad. You never know with marathons. They are strenuous.

My Map

This map is of the Maryland Farms YMCA in Brentwood Tennessee. I frequently go to this YMCA to work out. There are about two levels of the "Y" with a couple of half levels.

Here, I have shown the upstairs on the bottom and the downstairs at the top. I believe this map shows the different options that this specific "Y" has to offer. They have strategically placed the rooms upstairs and downstairs for a reason. I believe they put the main workout area upstairs to attract customers that can see the huge space through the windows outside. This "Y" also contains a Subway restaurant inside at the front so that when people leave, they can get a healthy meal. There is also a man that shines shoes at the bottom of the stairs for when businessmen go to workout, they can get their shoes shined in the process. I hope by observing the YMCA interior, I can get a better understanding of why the YMCA is so appealing to many American families.

YMCA Lists 2

Looking at different lists that help define a culture will give us a little insight into what that culture is like. My semester-long project involves the YMCA. An example of some lists that define the culture of the YMCA are music playlists, group fitness schedules, duffel bag list of items, workout list. By examining different person's ipod playlists, it will help me to better understand the different kinds of music people like to workout to. My guess is that most will be upbeat rap and rock like songs, but I would be interested to find out if I am right.
Another option is group fitness schedule list. If I can look at the attendance to each one of those classes, I will be able to tell which classes are preferred over others and if men or women attend classes more. If I can look inside the duffel bags that people carry to and from work while working out, it will give me some insight into the necessities to carry in the transition of working out and work. Finally, if I can observe the workout list of some people, such as athletes, it might help me to understand why the YMCA is preferred over other places to work out. They might have more areas to work out, more machines that will help get better results, etc.

Lists for the YMCA

1. Playlists for ipods
2. Packing list for clothes to bring to the gym to and from work
3. Group Fitness list
4. Movie lists for the movie room
5. List of Hours of Operation

YMCA Artifacts

A person’s outfit while working out says a lot about their personality, attitude or character. [A person’s outfit can say a lot about their personality, attitude or character.] Some people purposefully go out and buy a workout outfit that is cute and comfy just to show that they are a regular. Some [A few] people at the “Y” wear clothes that even I would be embarrassed to walk around my house in, while others wear normal clothes such as shorts and a T-shirt.

When referring to [When observing] women, those who are regulars at the YMCA are the ones who seem to have the cutest outfits. They are fit and healthy [They are healthy and fit] and are proud of what they look like. Their outfits are spandex, bright and tight [Their outfits are bright and tight spandex].

Then there are women like me who do not make working out their first priority, but still attend the “Y” on a pretty regular basis. I have noticed that these women aren’t extremely fit but aren’t obese either. These types of women [Many of these women] wear the standard Addidas shorts from Dick’s Sporting Goods and a T-shirt. They are comfortable in their skin, but not comfortable enough to show off their love handles in tight spandex.

Finally, you have the obese people that occasionally have the courage to step foot in a YMCA. These people seem to use the cardio machines the most. Obese people are obviously going to be more self-conscious and these types of women usually wear an oversized T-shirt and pants.

As for the men that attend the YMCA, there are also about three different types of styles. First, there are those macho men whose heads seem to take up the whole room (figuratively speaking). These guys are almost always in the weight area wearing a cutoff T-shirt to show off their massive muscles. They wear gloves to help while lifting and sometimes have a partner to assist. Then there are those men who are the standard athlete just trying to stay if good physical shape and usually just wear basketball shorts and a T-shirt. Finally, the heavier men who occasionally visit the YMCA, these men where oversized T-shirt and shorts [Finally, the heavier men who seem to only visit the YMCA on occasion wear oversized T-shirts and shorts.

What people wear when working out seems to say a lot about how they feel about themselves. It will be interesting in my research to discover if those people actually feel the way the look.

Field Notes Exercise

I observed the workout gym upstairs in the Beaman Student Life Center.

1. what surprised me?

When I observed the workout gym yesterday, it was interesting to watch every single person in the workout room at once. Usually I'll observe people while I am working out but I don't get to see EVERY person. It was surprised at how many people were doing cardio as opposed to weights. Also, it was funny to see the different people that were doing exercises wrong because they didn't know the right form.

2. What intrigued me?

My field working project for the semester is to observe the YMCA. This exercise is similar to what I will be doing later on and I was intrigued by the different kinds of people. I like observing people's attitudes, dress, actions and their different workout regimes. It is interesting to analyze them and see the differences. I hope to take this and try to answer my question of what makes the YMCA so appealing to Americans.

3. What disturbed me?

I did not find anything too disturbing with this exercise. The workout gym is not somewhere that I feel I will find many things I don't like. Most people are working on keeping themselves in shape, getting healthy and keeping to themselves so there is not much to say about this question.

The YMCA Semester Project

This semester I would like to do my project on the YMCA. Apparently the gym is a fascinating place and has become one that millions of people visit on a daily basis, particularly the Young Men’s Christian Association or YMCA for short. I want know what makes the YMCA so appealing that Americans feel that they have to become a “Y” member, pay a large fee every month and fight the enormous crowds just to get that hour-long workout in each day.

As a member of the YMCA myself, I know what I like about the organization but I am interested if my opinions are similar to others. I want to explore the idea of locker rooms, group fitness classes, and the different people that you observe at a YMCA. I plan to enter the YMCA every few days like I normally do, but instead of working out and listening to music, I am going to try and take notes while I do my 30 minutes on the treadmill. I am constantly analyzing people’s dress and mannerisms, but now I just have to take notes on it. I also plan to interview employees at the “Y” including group fitness instructors. If I am lucky, I hope to get to interview those various types of people and see how each person’s opinion of the YMCA and the reason for using it differs.
There seems to be many humorous standards that come with being a member at this place and I am interested to go in depth to further explore those standards. I would also like to see the statistics of the past few years to see if the “Y” is still the fan favorite gym to attend. My hopes are that I get answers to all of my questions, prepare and good fieldwork investigation and learn more about the YMCA in the process.