With the ongoing construction happening at the Ornelas Health & Physical Education Center, oppertunities for students to get exercise and participate in recreational activities have become limited. However, the Recreational Sports program at TJC continues to offer recreational fun for students.
Due to the construction and the limitations that it causes, the recreational sports program has had to get creative with their recreational lineup. Recently, they initiated a dorm vs. dorm competition that will continue for a few weeks. The dorms that plan to participate are Bateman, Crossroads Hall, Ornelas and Wesley House.
The activities included will be cornhole, flag football, virtual games such as Beat Saber with virtual reality, kickball, and an esports competition with the games Madden and NBA2K. The Rec Center on the second floor of the spirit room also has NBA2k and Madden available to play. All students are encouraged to participate in competitions even if they do not live in dorms. The events will be located on the intramural field and throughout the various locations on campus. For a full schedule of events and locations contact the office of the Rec Center cordinator 903-510-3251.
The recreational program also offers other activities for students. The Rec Center staff offers virtual reality headsets from 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Spirit Room, located on the first floor of the Rogers Student Center. Students need to go to the desk in the Spirit Room and make an IMLeagues account to start their virtual reality journey.
The recreational program at TJC is run by recreational sports coordinator Derek Talcott. The program’s purpose is to engage students and give students an opportunity to be physically and mentally active. “The activities are designed to support a holistic TJC experience,” Talcott said.
Talcott said the benefits of recreational sports are many. “Research shows staying physically active can also help with academic performance, sleep, and stress,” Talcott said. “It gives the students the opportunity to connect through social interaction as well as improving physical health.”
For more information concerning the dorm vs. dorm competitions or to see what else the recreation program has available for students, follow the programs Twitter with the handle @TJCRecSports and like their Facebook page via http://facebook.com/tjcrecsports.
