Starting on March 1, the Sonoma State University Recreation Center will be reopening for socially distanced workouts outside in the Seawolf Plaza. 

The Rec Center has been closed to students for the entire academic year up until this point. Set to open Monday March 1, the outdoor space will be open to up to 10 students at a time, with all occupants required to maintain social distancing throughout their workout. The space will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All that students will need in order to use the space is to make a reservation online. 

Upon arrival to the workout space, students will have a set of rules that they will have to follow before entry. The Rec Center website states that before entry students must, “Arrive no more than 5 minutes before your start time. Reservations will be voided after 15 minutes of no show, Find designated queueing areas with six-foot distance markers indicating where you should stand to maintain physical distance while waiting in line (please note face coverings are required when inline), [and] Present your Seawolf ID with waiver sticker.”

Once the student has checked in with the Rec Staff, Campus Rec faculty will make sure that the SSU daily wellness screening form has been filled out online, in which case the student will then be allowed in to enter the workout space and begin working out. 

It is important to note that not every aspect of the Rec Center will be available for students to use in this new outdoor space. According to the Rec Center’s website, the available equipment will include, “Cycling bikes, rowing machines, dumbbells (not to exceed 20 lbs), medicine balls, bosu balls, stability balls, and other small equipment.”

Many safety measures will be implemented in order to make sure that the experience is safe for all students that wish to participate. Some of the safety measures include, “Physically distant from the time each student and staff arrive to the time they leave, individual outdoor activities contained within a spaced outdoor 10’x15′ space for 10 students at a time, [and] cleaned equipment before each person arrives to their reservation,” said lead recreation coordinator Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick went on to say, “…contactless check-ins using Engage and verify at arrival, we have a separate entrance/exit for when a restroom is needed to be used by all student participants, and we require facial coverings at all times (and encourage double facial covering for extra protection).” 

Students are happy to hear that the rec center is coming back. Many students have had to work out at home with little to no equipment. “I’m pretty excited to use the cardio machines. I like using machines while doing cardio, so it’s nice that the equipment is available,” said Junior Leonardo Villarama. 

Aside from allowing students to have a place to workout again, the reopening of the Rec Center has many other benefits as well. “Having a safe space in which students can reunite (physically distant) is paramount to personal and collective wellness,” said Fitzpatrick, “With healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, we can be more empowered to experience success in college, with our families and in our communities.”

To make an appointment for the outdoor space students can head over to the Rec Center Engage page and fill out the rec center workout. Once the waiver has been signed, students then will be able to sign up for a time.