On Friday February 3, the Colgate Huntington Gymnasium hosted an all day Spin-a-Thon called “Spin Your Heart Out” to raise funds and aware­ness for the American Heart Associa­tion (AHA) and Tedy’s Team, a charity benefiting the American Stroke As­sociation. The second-floor excercise bike studio in Huntington Gymna­sium held spin classes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a new class beginning each hour. Instructors rotated and there was no limit to how many spin classes one could take. The event was organized by Christina Amato, director of Trudy Fitness Center, and sponsored by the Wellness Institute, Colgate’s American Heart Association chapter, Colgate Athletics, The Shaw Wellness Insti­tute, ‘Gate Fitness and Colgate Peer Health Educators.

“A total of 150 students partici­pated, and we even had to turn away people in the afternoon because the classes were full,” Associate Direc­tor of the Colgate Center for Out­reach, Volunteersim and Education (COVE) Rachel DiDimizio said. Participants were able to make dona­tions at the door, and over $750 were collected from the day’s events. All of the donations were given to the AHA and Tedy’s Team to raise awareness and fund research toward fighting heart disease.

Tedy Bruschi, a former player for the New England Patriots, suffered a stroke at the age of 31 after winning his third Super Bowl. He collabo­rated with the American Stroke As­sociation to form Tedy’s Team, which raises money for stroke research and honors those who have suffered and succumbed to strokes.

The National Wear Red for Wom­en Day was created because heart dis­ease and strokes affect large numbers of women. Spinning was chosen as the main activity for the event because it promotes heart-healthy exercise.

Those who were not able to attend exercise lessons could be seen sport­ing red around campus, such as staff members at the Career Services Center. Participants in the Spin-a-Thon were treated to raffles, free snacks and a visit from the Raider mascot.

“One of my professors was in my spinning class, which was kind of interesting to see. The music fit really well into the workout. They gave out water bottles and one person said they got a pair of sweatpants,” sophomore Emily Taylor said.

Contact Morgan Giordano at [email protected].