Chaarg Podcast

The podcast discusses a club called CHARGE at West Chester University, which was founded at Ohio State University in 2012. CHARGE promotes fitness for girls and has chapters at over 110 universities. The club offers small group sessions for members to meet new people and engage in various activities. Joining CHARGE has helped the speaker and her roommate make new friends and step out of their comfort zones. The club provides a comfortable environment for working out and offers a range of events and activities. Joining CHARGE can help alleviate gym intimidation and provide opportunities to meet like-minded individuals. The speaker highly recommends joining the club. Hey guys, welcome back to my podcast. On this week's episode, we will be diving into the discussion of clubs at West Chester University, specifically a club called CHARGE. CHARGE is short for Changing Health Attitudes and Actions to Recreate Girls. It is essentially like a fitness sorority for just girls. It was founded at Ohio State University by Elizabeth Tafir in 2012. Its purpose is to promote fitness for girls, and it began traveling from university to university, now having over 110 universities with a CHARGE chapter. Here at West Chester, the club has over 100 plus members, all with the same passion to meet new people, work out, and have a fun time. Within CHARGE, they offer small group sessions that meet once a week at a certain time. I myself, being a member of CHARGE, of course had to take up the opportunity to join one of these small groups. We have done things like decorating pumpkins, studying, decorating cookies, going on walks in the downtown West Chester, you name it, we have probably done it. These small groups are a great way to make new friends within the club, considering the weekly workout seasons tend to be a larger number of girls who can't really mingle one-on-one. During these small groups, we can talk about numerous topics that stretch from school to Halloween costumes. In the beginning, it can be intimidating to talk to new people. I know I was so scared when I found out my roommate and I want to be in the same small group. However, looking back on it, that was one of the best outcomes that occurred for us, I think. It kind of allowed us to both meet new people, make new friends, and go outside of our comfort zone here. Being a freshman, it can be hard to make new friends, especially at a state school where lots of nearby high schoolers tend to flee to the same universities. Putting yourself out there at such a joy in a club like CHARGE can give you the opportunity to meet these people without having to muster up the courage to do it, say, in the dining hall or right before class. Even before coming to school, I was nervous for the idea of making new friends. The idea of going up to random people made me honestly sick to my stomach and wanted to puke. I wish I could say I had known about CHARGE earlier on in my worries of meeting new people. However, I had no idea coming to school this club was even a thing. My mom had actually sent it over to me via Facebook through the treasurer of CHARGE, Julia Gadsby's mom, posted about it on the parents' page. After I investigated the club and stalked them all over social media, I realized this would be the club for me. If you're like me, I had been playing sports for as long as I can remember, but lost the passion to want to continue at a collegiate level. When I heard CHARGE had planned workouts that stretched from yoga all the way to jujitsu, I was over the moon about the idea that I could actually continue to stay fit and even make friends while doing so. Not only do they do just workout-based events, they also do events like going for ice cream or decorating tote bags. The more calm sessions allow you to be in a relaxed atmosphere and talk to some of the other girls without the pressures of working out while doing so. They even occasionally have bake sales from the hours of 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. If you'd like to get donations from any, let's say, intoxicated people going out to the frats or out to the bars, if you don't mind spending a little money for a sweet treat. I'd say they are using their resources pretty wisely. I have with me right now a member of CHARGE as well as a roommate who accompanies me to any CHARGE sessions. So here I'm with Kaylee Hartman. Kaylee, say hi. Hi. So why did you join CHARGE? Because I wanted to meet new people. And are you happy you joined? Yes. So prior to joining CHARGE, did you experience gym intimidation from all the gym rats that go to the gym? Yes, especially on the machines. Yes. And are you glad that you joined CHARGE? Do you feel like that lessened that kind of intimidation? Yes. Kay, thank you for the interview. You're welcome. Though it can be terrifying to put yourself out there and meet new people, joining a club with other girls that have the same interests as you make it ten times easier than you'd think. Joining CHARGE has been such an exciting and great decision for both me and my roommate since coming here. I push every girl I know to join due to the idea of just being able to work out and do it in a comfortable environment without so-called gym rats surrounding you. It can bring so much ease, especially to girls. CHARGE is one of the best clubs here at West Chester, and I only hope it continues to thrive for years to come.