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A MOVE-ing morning with the Crawfords


Despite the chilly weather, students and parents spread out across President Greg Crawford's lawn for a MOVE workout at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 to kick of the first morning of parents weekend.

The MOVE group fit events started four years ago when the Crawford family came to Miami University. They wanted to use exercise to create a sense of community both in Oxford and on Miami’s campus. 

The event kicked off with registration, where guests were able to speak with registered dietitians and participate in a bean-bag toss game to win a free Hydro Flask.

Cassidy Waldrep, a first-year zoology major, brought her parents to the event and was also one of the lucky Hydro Flask winners. 

“[It was a] great way to spend time with family and win free prizes,” Waldrep said.  

Participants then spread out across the patio and lawn to participate in Zumba. Participants laughed with each other as they danced to songs like “Move to Miami” by Pitbull and “Little More” by Putzgrilla.

First-year accounting major Duncan Fox was in the front of the crowd of dancers. A lover of Zumba, Fox said that even though his parents were unable to come for family weekend, “[he] was still able to have fun with friends.” 

Students danced with each other and their families, all smiling as they attempted to follow the moves of the instructors.  

This was sophomore Sarah Forman’s fifth MOVE bootcamp, and she said that she keeps coming back because “the exercise and the workout [are] always a lot of fun with people.”

The final part of the workout included Miami trivia. The questions ranged from the year the university was founded to questions about the types of flowers planted on campus.

A correct answer resulted in 20 seconds of an exercise and an incorrect answer resulted in 40  seconds of an exercise. The crowd did well, answering 12 out of 15 questions correctly. 

Senior Sara Foley was one of the two Zumba leaders. This was Foley’s final time teaching a MOVE bootcamp. She taught her first MOVE bootcamp four years ago, and throughout her time she has taught workouts such as Zumba, Kickboxing and circuit training.

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Foley said this was the most parents she had ever seen at a MOVE group fit event, and it was “phenomenal to see students bring their parents.”

The sense of community was evident when the group gathered for a photo, and a cheer of “go Redhawks, tame Huskies” was led by Crawford in order to get people excited form Miami’s upcoming football game against Northern Illinois University. 


arendsr@miamioh.edu