On Tuesday night, the one-millionth guest entered the doors of the Student Fitness Center since its grand opening in January 2011.

Senior therapeutic recreation major Ryan Dieschbourg was surprised when the Campus Recreation staff began to cheer at him as he walked passed the counter.    

“I am shocked because this was very unexpected,” Dieschbourg explained. “I thought everyone was just getting ready to take a picture or something, since there are not usually five people standing at the entrance like this.”

Andy Read, campus recreation assistant marketing director, said he and the rest of the staff had been counting down the numbers all day.     

The numbers are tracked through the swipe system based on the amount of students who swipe their Redbird cards on a daily basis, Read said.                  

“As we’ve gotten closer to the one-million mark, we’ve been checking the numbers weekly, then daily and today, hourly,” Read said.

From the numbers in the morning, Read predicted it would happen sometime Tuesday. However, the student traffic was slower than usual due to the rainy weather.

Antonio Vargas/ Photographer: The Rec welcomed Ryan Dieschbourg, senior therapeutic recreation major, as its one-millionth guest on Tuesday night.

Dieschbourg said he comes to the Student Fitness Center every day to play basketball and lift weights. He is dedicated to his health and staying in shape, so he uses the Rec for those reasons.

The fire that took place at The Lodge last Monday, Jan. 21 occurred at Dieschbourg’s apartment.

“This is really ironic and exciting. It makes me feel like everything happens for a reason,” he said.

Dieschbourg was given an iPad and T-shirt from Campus Recreation to honor him as their one-millionth guest. A photo shoot of Dieschbourg  will be scheduled at a later date.

Read said this occasion shows that ISU’s students have a drive to stay in shape and take full advantage of the fitness center.  He feels it is a great opportunity for them to stay healthy and hopes students continue to enjoy it.

Read said he, along with the rest of the staff, is proud to be a part of this event.

The success of the fitness center is evident and has only gotten better since it opened, Read said.

“Serving a million student visits in just over two years is pretty exciting,” he explained. “It’s a great milestone for the university, and certainly for the facility itself to reach this mark.”