Lead Group Fitness instructor Alice Adams helped turn the St. Edward’s University Group XTreme, or GroupX, program around during her time at the university. Adams is leaving St. Edward’s to pursue a master’s in sports management at Ohio State University. Director of Campus Recreation Andy Lemons is currently working on a plan to fill Adams’ position. During her time at Ohio State, Adams will be teaching classes.

“I’ll be doing kind of what I do at St. Edward’s but on a huge scale,” Adams said.

Being in charge of a fitness program was never part of Adams’ original master plan, though. Adams knew that she loved psychology, but never knew that she would someday be in charge of a program like GroupX. Adams has grown in her time at St. Edward’s through her position as a leader in the program. Lemons gave Adams a position as a Zumba instructor two years ago. At that time, Adams had no expectations for a career in fitness.

“I have always been an avid dancer, but I feel like I just tripped and fell into the fitness world,” Adams said. “If it was not for Andy, I would never have known that I could keep working in Campus Recreation as a career. I am forever grateful for all of the support, encouragement and development opportunities he has given me. And lunches. I’m really going to miss our lunches.”

Lemons believes that GroupX has thrived not only because of Adams’ leadership, but because of the community that the programs have fostered. Members of GroupX have participated in things like fun runs such as The Color Run, The Electric Run and TOUGH MUDDER; through outreach events like Marathon Kids; and other special events, like Cinco-de-Zumbathon last year, Bikini Boot Camp for the past two years.

“Alice has really exemplified what it means to lead with enthusiasm, creativity and that healthy disregard for the impossible we all like to talk about,” Lemons said. “There are not a lot of people in the university recreation field who can say they cultivated and created an entire group fitness program, and Alice will always have that experience.”

GroupX will not dissolve once Adams becomes a Buckeye, though. Participation rates and diversity of programs have grown dramatically in the past two years.

“Especially with the renovations being done to the alumni gym, the GroupX program will only get bigger and better,” Adams said. “Even looking back now, I am amazed that we were able to successfully run packed Zumba classes in a gym with no AC and, in the very beginning, [with] an old school boombox.”

New GroupX leaders Sarah Dawson and Emily Hanagriff have helped keep the program’s growth stable and consistent through the year, giving Adams the chance to take a breather and delegate tasks to the new leaders.

“No matter what she does, where she works or who she becomes, in my mind Alice is the person who created one of the premier hallmark programs of the St. Edward’s Campus Recreation program for students to enjoy years after she is gone,” Lemons said.