After months of inactivity, the Roche Sports Complex reopened its doors on Sept. 9. The reopening came as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order on Monday allowing gyms and pools to resume business under limited capacities.
Hours are reduced to 6am-10pm M-TH, 6AM-8PM on Friday, 9AM-2PM on Saturday, and 12PM-5PM on Sunday, and students are required to wear masks while exercising. Student IDs are also required to enter the facility.
Nonetheless, many students are excited by the prospect of exercising again.
Since the beginning of school, facility use has been limited to athletes. Leah Tunney, a sophomore on the swim team, said she was glad to go to the gym when school started but is happy that non-athletes now have the opportunity to workout as well.
“Honestly, I felt bad when there were so many people on campus who couldn’t work out,” Tunney said. “I was able to do my normal thing, but other people had to run or workout outside.”
Tunney said she would have been comfortable if the gym had been opened to the public sooner but she understood the restrictions.
“I know it’s what the college had to do,” Tunney said. “But I’m so happy people can go to the gym again. The gym is a great way to relieve stress and I could definitely see that not exercising was weighing down on some non-athletes.”
While the gym was closed, students found creative ways to workout. Now that the sports complex is open to the public again, students can return to conventional methods of exercising.
“People are so excited to be back,” said Morgan Cox, a junior and a student employee at the sports complex. “They’re so excited to lift again. They’ve been doing what they can with bodyweight stuff, but there’s only so much you can do. They’re happy about it, for sure.”
In response to the re-opening, Cox said student employees have taken on more responsibilities to make sure gym-goers are following school guidelines, like mask-wearing and social distancing.
“We have to keep track of the number of people who come in and out of the gym,” Cox said. “We also do a lot more cleaning than we used to, we always have to stay on top of that.”
With smaller capacities, Cox said it has been difficult to limit the number of students allowed in the gym.
“It’s definitely hard telling people they can’t workout,” Cox said. “They wake up in the morning with the intention of working out and you have to tell them, ‘Sorry, capacity is full.’”
Despite her new responsibilities, Cox said it was nice to see people back in the gym. Bill Lundberg, assistant professor of sport studies and Hayden Park fitness director, said he shared her excitement.
“These facilities are for the students to enjoy,” Lundberg said. “It’s such a blessing. It’s great they can go back indoors.”
Lundberg, who has been coordinating with senior staff to ensure the safety of students during indoor and outdoor activities, noted the crucial role physical activity plays in a student’s health.
“It’s important to be together and to utilize facilities indoors and outdoors,” Lundberg said. “But also to be extra careful and cleanly and just to be careful with the social distancing where it’s necessary.”
