Attend Spring Bloom with your well-being in mind

Spring Bloom 2023 will be held May 22 through May 26

For a full list of offerings visit Spring Bloom 2023 Session Descriptions.

Register for these events and more using the Spring Bloom 2023 Registration Form


Monday, May 22

Demystifying the Leonard Center

10:00 – 10:45 with Taylor Ulrich, Strength and conditioning coach with Athletics and WHAM’s personal trainer and instructor
Location: Leonard Center (meet in the lobby)

Whether you’re new to Mac or just new to the Leonard Center, WHAM’s goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fitness levels.  We invite you to join Taylor for a tour of the facility and orientation to the equipment.  He’ll help you be more familiar with the pool, cardio machines, weight machines, dumbbell and barbell racks.  He’ll show you where the balls, bands and foam rollers are kept and show you the many uses for the fieldhouse.

Summer is a much quieter time at the LC, so we hope you’ll take advantage of this modern and convenient facility and build some movement into your workdays. 

A change of clothes is not necessary for this tour and orientation.

Walk with WHAM

12:05 – 12:55 with WHAM Committee Member(s)
Location: Meet outside the Campus Center

Join WHAM and your fellow colleagues to kick-start or continue your walking routine while enjoying the sights and smells of spring’s blooms.  We’ll meet outside the Campus Center each day and walk from there to explore the neighborhood and get in some steps.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the beauty around us and return to work feeling refreshed.  

Sign up for this event to receive the calendar invitation and just accept the days you plan to attend. We’ll cancel the walk in the event of inclement weather.  We encourage you to bring a friend/colleague along, even if they haven’t signed up.  Please wear good shoes for walking.


Tuesday, May 23

Intro to Pickleball

10:30 – 11:45 with Will Davison, PCI certified instructor at Lucky Shots
Location: Leonard Center Fieldhouse

WHAM is excited to partner with Lucky Shots to bring you an on-site Intro to Pickleball lesson.  This is a great way for brand new players to learn the sport of pickleball. Players will receive 60 minutes of instruction plus 15 minutes of playing time. Players will learn all the basics to be able to play. We will cover equipment, unique lingo, score keeping, court position, and the fundamentals of serve, return, and the volley.

Lucky Shots will provide paddles and balls. Players should wear tennis shoes and comfortable athletic clothing. 

Lucky Shots is a premier indoor pickleball facility in Minnesota with 12 state-of-the-art pickleball courts. There is something for all ages and skill levels – private court rentals, classes, private lessons, leagues, open play, private events, youth summer camps, etc.

Our instructor for this event will be Will Davison.  Will is a father, husband, and a pickleball junkie. He’s competed in many tournaments locally and out-of-state and is called “The Silver King” by his oldest daughter. He enjoys seeing his players make progress and smiles often because he gets to do this for his job! He has coached players ages 6 to 91. He can facilitate many types of lessons based on your goals, the situations you’d like to work on, and whether you just want to have fun or get technical. Will has experience doing lessons for married couples, first dates, company parties, and competitive players preparing for tournaments. He is excited to work on whatever you’d like!

Walk with WHAM

12:05 – 12:55 with WHAM Committee Member(s)
Location: Meet outside the Campus Center

Join WHAM and your fellow colleagues to kick-start or continue your walking routine while enjoying the sights and smells of spring’s blooms.  We’ll meet outside the Campus Center each day and walk from there to explore the neighborhood and get in some steps.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the beauty around us and return to work feeling refreshed.  

Sign up for this event to receive the calendar invitation and just accept the days you plan to attend. We’ll cancel the walk in the event of inclement weather.  We encourage you to bring a friend/colleague along, even if they haven’t signed up.  Please wear good shoes for walking.


Wednesday, May 24

Understanding the SQUAT

10:30 – 11:20 with Angela Nguyen, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, CNC, WLS, WHAM instructor
Location: Leonard Center, Deno Fitness Center

Squats are one of the fundamental exercises in a strength training program, whether you’re a novice or seasoned athlete, because they build strength in several muscles at a time, reduce injury and improve mobility and balance.  Yet a squat can be an intimidating and challenging exercise to perform correctly.  WHAM would like to help you maximize your squatting potential while minimizing your risk for injury. 

We invite you to learn the fundamentals of the squat.  From bodyweight squats, to goblet squats, to barbell squats, trainer Angel Nguyen will follow a progression to build a solid understanding of the proper technique needed and discuss how you can prepare for a squat under a loaded barbell. With each variation, you will gain knowledge from stance and grip width as well as common faults and cues to correct them. We will also address mobility and functional warm ups needed to get the most out of your squats. 

This class is recommended for the beginner fitness enthusiast looking to learn the basics, as well as the more experienced lifter who is seeking advice on mobility, warmup, technique and optimization. Participants should come prepared wearing athletic shoes and clothes. Since this class will focus on technique, rather than quantity, you likely won’t get sweaty.

Walk with WHAM

12:05 – 12:55 with WHAM Committee Member(s)
Location: Meet outside the Campus Center

Join WHAM and your fellow colleagues to kick-start or continue your walking routine while enjoying the sights and smells of spring’s blooms.  We’ll meet outside the Campus Center each day and walk from there to explore the neighborhood and get in some steps.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the beauty around us and return to work feeling refreshed.  

Sign up for this event to receive the calendar invitation and just accept the days you plan to attend. We’ll cancel the walk in the event of inclement weather.  We encourage you to bring a friend/colleague along, even if they haven’t signed up.  Please wear good shoes for walking.


Thursday, May 25

Barre Workout

12:05 – 12:50 with Ariel Linnerson, WHAM Instructor
Location: Leonard Center, Studio 1

Ballet-inspired moves are adapted to fit all bodies in this high intensity, but low impact workout designed to strengthen and sculpt your legs, glutes, abs, and arms! We will use the ballet barre for balance as we tone our legs and light hand weights for our upper body. No dance experience required and all fitness levels are welcome! 

Ariel has been teaching Barre, Yoga, Pilates, TRX, Zumba, dance and dance-based fitness classes since graduating with a BFA in Contemporary Dance from North Carolina School of the Arts in 2003. She has been a Macalester WHAM Instructor since 2012. Ariel believes that consistency, sustainability, and variety are the keys to a lifetime of health and fitness and her goal is to make each class fun, engaging, and challenging for each student!

Walk with WHAM

12:05 – 12:55 with WHAM Committee Member(s)
Location: Meet outside the Campus Center

Join WHAM and your fellow colleagues to kick-start or continue your walking routine while enjoying the sights and smells of spring’s blooms.  We’ll meet outside the Campus Center each day and walk from there to explore the neighborhood and get in some steps.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the beauty around us and return to work feeling refreshed.  

Sign up for this event to receive the calendar invitation and just accept the days you plan to attend. We’ll cancel the walk in the event of inclement weather.  We encourage you to bring a friend/colleague along, even if they haven’t signed up.  Please wear good shoes for walking.


Friday, May 26

Walk with WHAM

12:05 – 12:55 with WHAM Committee Member(s)
Location: Meet outside the Campus Center

Join WHAM and your fellow colleagues to kick-start or continue your walking routine while enjoying the sights and smells of spring’s blooms.  We’ll meet outside the Campus Center each day and walk from there to explore the neighborhood and get in some steps.  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, enjoy the beauty around us and return to work feeling refreshed.  

Sign up for this event to receive the calendar invitation and just accept the days you plan to attend. We’ll cancel the walk in the event of inclement weather.  We encourage you to bring a friend/colleague along, even if they haven’t signed up.  Please wear good shoes for walking.