Paige Backman
pbackman@uwyo.edu
The second phase of the construction on Half Acre Gym is wrapping up and updated facilities are starting to open.
The full indoor track opened this past week, as well as the renovated basketball courts on the west side of the building. While the pool and hot tub area are still closed for final touches, the Wellness Center and Athletic Training facilities opened Monday.
“It’s definitely a soft open,” Jenna Brown, a service window assistant for Campus Recreation and Wellness, said. “The pool has been empty for a while and there are so many different things that need to be double-checked.”
Although the process is timely, the pool is expected to be open by the beginning of spring semester.
The Wellness Center offers services to students including massage therapy, personal training, athletic training and weekly educational programs. The staff has even planned events for this week including wellness focus groups for veterans.
The focus group for female veterans is on today from noon to 1:30 p.m. A series of activities for general fitness geared toward veterans is scheduled throughout the week and includes adaptive workouts and yoga classes.
On Thursday the center intends to begin a stress reduction workshop that includes four sessions to educate students about meditation and stress management.
“We’ve got a whole bunch of educational programs and health promotion resources and supplies,” Assistant Director of Wellness Lena Newlin said.
She said although there isn’t currently a massage therapist or nutritionist hired, the facility has plans in motion for the future.
“We are kind of starting small right now with a lot of hopes for the future,” Newlin said.
In addition to the Wellness Center a new lobby area, as well as several offices and classrooms have been completed. Students have mostly become informed about the recently opened facilities by word-of-mouth.
“My friends told me the track was opened so I thought I would come check it out,” Alex Nelson, UW student, said. “ I was getting sick of the treadmill so it’s nice. I like that it’s 8 laps for a mile like a typical indoor track.”
The Wellness Center’s website went live on Friday and has information about registration for the educational classes, pricing and contact information for massage and personal training opportunities. Students are encouraged to visit the Wellness Center this week to find out more about the services.
