On the College Life page in the April issue of M&F (available on newsstands now) we spotlight the third largest college in the nation, Texas A&M University. We’re going to give you a closer look at the college campus whose recreational facilities provide a way for anyone to be fit.
A Training Tradition
At an enrollment of 58,000+ students, Texas A&M embodies the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas.” The senior military college boasts a Student Recreation Center, which after renovations will be 480,000 square feet in 2016. Within it, the strength and conditioning space will expand to 37,000 square feet, complete with more than 100 smart cardio machines, a full personal training suite, and an indoor turf area for plyometrics, TRX, battle ropes, and other functional training tools. Overall, the Aggies tend to favor expansion.
“We’ve been aggressive in acquiring facilities our students ask for,” says Dennis Corrington, executive director of recreational sports. “There’s a tradition of being physically active, dating back to before 1963, when ROTC was mandatory.”
But wait there are more expansions. Texas A&M is adding three more fitness studios to make their total number of fitness classes offered more than 108. The university is also adding a new eight-lane pool in 2016.
With 20 NCAA Division I-A varsity sports and nearly 2,500 Corps of Cadets members, an important selling point for Texas A&M is that the campus facilities are offered to everyone. There’s indoor soccer, volleyball, and badminton courts and an indoor rock climbing wall with nine top routes. The Aggies love their recreational sports too.
“We offer 29 different events in intramurals and more than 14,000 students participate,” says Corrington. “We have 34 club sports with about 25,000 participants.”
In terms of campus community involvement and outreach, Texas A&M offers a Healthy Living Lecture Series each semester, a program designed to educate students about a variety of health and wellness topics.
“The healthy living lecture series is free and any student, faculty, or staff at A&M can attend,” says Jerod Wilson, Department of Recreational Sports Director of strength and conditioning. “Topics range from eating healthy on a low budget, to practical and efficient strength and conditioning workouts to being smart and staying safe during spring break and more.”
Whether you’re one a Cadet, varsity athlete or weekend warrior, Texas A&M has something for you to have fun while breaking a sweat.
“Our most recent data indicate 92% of students participate in recreational sports facilities, programs and services,” says Wilson. “Every student can find something active to be involved in.”
