Back in shape

TSC Recreation Center reopens 

Brigitte Ortiz | THE RIDER

The Recreation, Education and Kinesiology Center (BREKC) in Brownsville opened its doors to Texas Southmost College and UTRGV students Sept. 21.

The Recreation Center is open by appointment only. Students can create an IMLeague account with their UTRGV email, click on “weight room, 2nd floor cardio/track, tennis and racquetball courts” and register for their workout in certain areas within the facility. Videos on step-by-step instruction are available on the Recreation Center Facebook page.  

Armando Ponce, executive director for Student Life and Civility at TSC, said they have 45-minute appointments and close after to clean and disinfect the building. The capacity is 50 people per session.  

 “We do deep cleaning, you know, we have all the necessary cleaning supplies that’ve been recommended,” Ponce said. “Our staff all received COVID training through a continuity education program that TSC offers.”

He said the Recreation Center created a safety plan following the recommended Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

“What we’ve done is [take] the best practices from other institutions across the state,” Ponce said. “We, just like UTRGV, belong to NIRSA, the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association. [We had] several meetings over the summer, on some of the best practices on reopening REC centers, throughout the state with the safety of our faculty, staff and students in mind.”      

Jaime Salazar, executive director of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management at TSC, said all the protocols and procedures the Recreation Center has implemented are in accordance with state, federal and local guidance, or ordinance.

“We’ve taken every step to not only get our health protocol requirements in place, but we’ve gone above and beyond that, including minimizing the total amount of people that can be in the building,” Salazar said. “Ensuring that they’re social distancing, ensuring that they’re self-monitoring and, of course, all of our employees have been trained and will be monitoring the movement, entry and departure of all the students.”

Ponce said when a student walks in, they must have a facial covering, full-finger gloves and bring their own water or towel. An employee will check their temperature after they verify they’ve made an appointment. 

Asked if there will be intramural sports this semester, Ponce replied, “So, the intramural sports, right now, we’re still uncertain. We’re doing esports for intramurals. We’re working on possibly doing some individual type things, as well, but it has not been decided if we’re going to move forward with intramurals, you know, with safety being a priority at this point.”