Students take advantage of the new covered basketball court and practice trick shots. The pavilion is one of the first of many intramural sports areas the Rec Center hopes to create in the future. Photo by Garrison Nichols
The Apache Recreation Center has officially opened its doors in its new location. The rec staff began transitioning into their new home in the fall 2022 semester, leaving their old building, the Ornelas Health and Physical Education Building, which was changed into the Apache Belles, Band and Dance Studio.
The center has all the same equipment from the OHPE according to staff members.
“We have all of the weight room equipment from both weight rooms and the cardio room,” Michelle Howell, senior shift lead said. “We have the dumbbells. You can do yoga cause we have mats over there. We have balls that you can throw back and forth that kind of stuff.”
While the same equipment is available, the new building location offers an outdoor space that their old building was lacking. Currently, there is one covered basketball court, a disc golf course, table tennis and corn hole set up.
“The table tennis is outdoors now; we do have cornhole,” Howell said. “You could check out disc golf discs; you just have to have your student ID with the right sticker on it for this semester, so for right now it would be spring 2023. You can get the bean bags for the cornhole, you just check out at the front desk.”
While there are new opportunities in their new location, the move also meant some changes were made to the services offered by the Rec Center due to the layout and size of their new building.
“We don’t have the pool,” Howell said. “We don’t have showers we just have bathrooms and we’re not giving out towels and that kind of stuff anymore.”
But the new outdoor area gives the Rec Center space to grow into, according to the staff, who say that the center plans to increase acreage within the decade.
“What we are wanting to do out there is to add a baseball complex and some buildings that will facilitate that usage,” Sarah Van Cleef, vice president for financial affairs and chief financial officer, said at a Student Senate meeting in the fall 2022 semester.
The center has 33 acres to grow into, according to Van Cleef.
“That’s some significant land. We’re so excited to get to use that space and add an intramural field,” Van Cleef said.
The new Rec Center can be found at 1914 E Devine St. and is open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays. They are currently closed on the weekends. For more information about the Rec Center and intramural sports, go to tjc.edu.
