Zumba class in action with Coach Kel of Kingz & Queenz Fitness and Coach OB of OB Fitness
Photo submitted by Kendall Harris
The Florida A&M University Student Government Association held its inaugural “Zumba for a Cure” event on Tuesday at the FAMU Recreation Center.
The event was held in partnership with Coach Kelvin Frazier of Kingz & Queenz Fitness, and Coach O’Neil Brown of OB Fitness, both who served as instructors for the event.
Representatives from SGA were in attendance and ready to work out in support of a great cause.
Robyn Seniors, SGA Vice President had hoped for a bigger crowd, however the purpose of the event was enough to keep her motivated throughout the workout.
“We are having Zumba for a Cure as part of our FAMU GOES PINK Week,” said Seniors. “We want to promote healthy living, especially in the black community and being that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We wanted to create a week filled with great programs for students to enjoy and really put more focus into their health.”
Kimberly Williams, SGA Deputy Surgeon General was also present and spoke about the importance of living a healthier lifestyle.
“I think that this event is significant for FAMU students because most students here are African American, and we as a race are typically stereotyped and stigmatized as people who don’t live the best lifestyles when it comes to our health,” said Williams. “As a woman, I’m hoping to gain more information on how to take precautions to prevent breast cancer and a positive outlook on living a healthier lifestyle.”
After Coach Kel cranked up the music and began to get the crowd ready for some action. He apologized in advance for how intense the workout was going to get.
After finishing the first portion of the class, he and his brother Coach OB came and gave some insight on why it is important to take care of the body.
“We hoped to bring awareness and shed knowledge on how important it is to get screened for breast cancer and how important it is to get regular check-ups by a doctor,” said Coach Kel. “We also have to be aware of what we put into our bodies so that we can achieve a healthy body, healthy mindset, and healthy life.”
Coach OB, who is the trainer for OB Fitness had a spiritual outlook on why it is important to take care of your body.
“We should use our time more wisely to take better care of our temple, because it is a precious gift from God to us, and if we don’t take care of it, it can’t take care of us, “ said Coach OB, “We must also remember that it’s not only what we eat that can cause our bodies harm, we must also watch the people we surround ourselves with and the things we watch and give energy to because they can all be toxic to our temple.”
The Zumba participants worked up a sweat, but were all smiles as they scrambled for their towels to dry off.
Seniors, who says she enjoyed the class looks forward to doing “Zumba for a Cure” again.
“I would like to see this event happen again, hopefully partnering with one of the performance organizations or the Greek-lettered organizations will help generate a better turn out and continue to raise breast cancer awareness on a larger platform here at FAMU.”