UTPB launches fitness court

September 5: The University of Texas Permian Basin has added another fitness feature to its campus: the Fitness Court.

The official opening took place on Thursday. The court has been in place for a few weeks and people have been using it.

On the other side of the Fitness Court there is a floor that can be used for yoga classes, for example.

Becky Spurlock, senior vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said Blue Cross/Blue Shield and the National Fitness Campaign approached UTPB and said they had identified the campus as a prime space for a fitness court.

The cost of the court was not available at the time of publication.

“We’re very excited about this fitness court,” said UTPB President Sandra Woodley. “What it represents for the university is our commitment to improving health and wellness in the community. Many of us care about all the things that improve our lives…”

“The fitness court is located… close to our beautiful walking trails. We see a lot of people in our community using those. As you all know, we have a $6.5 million grant and we’re about to expand those trails, so this fitness court will be a prime spot on that trail for the community to use,” Woodley said.

She noted that you can download the Fitness Court app and it will give you ideas on workouts.

“We encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful resource, whether it’s a seven-minute workout or a yoga class, or if you want to have a much more wellness-focused experience through the Fitness Court app. We want to make sure that’s available to you now. You can download these free workouts, just search for Fitness Court and you’ll have all the ideas you need to take advantage of this,” Woodley said.

He expressed gratitude to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas and the National Fitness Campaign for helping UTPB provide “this really amazing, high-quality fitness opportunity for this community.”

Woodley also thanked UTPB officials and others who worked on the project and also Spurlock because it was his idea.

“Their team worked with Blue Cross and the National Fitness Campaign to make this a reality,” Woodley said.

Spurlock said that “space matters,” whether it’s the right space to learn, the right space to study, or the right space to exercise and hang out.

“This makes a huge difference in the quality of life for our community (and) the lives of our students. We’re so proud to add this gymnastics court to our other outdoor recreation spaces, including our sand volleyball court, our outdoor basketball court; as Dr. Woodley mentioned, our trail system, our intramural fields; so many spaces that make our life on campus fun and make it a great place to be,” Spurlock said.

“I also want to give a special thanks to our colleagues in human resources who have launched our fantastic Falcon Fitness program that many of you choose to participate in. You’ve been wonderful partners to us and this is an important resource for our employees as well, and our new year at Falcon Fitness begins next week. It’s the perfect time for you to re-enroll in that program and be ready to have some fun here on our trail system and courts,” Spurlock said.

He added that the Fitness Court is a great addition to the campus.

“We have much more ahead of us with the transformation of our campus, and I can’t wait to see all the ways our campus grows to better serve our community,” Spurlock said.

Mallory Sumner, director of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, said that on average, one in two adults does not get enough physical activity in their daily lives, which can lead to chronic but preventable diseases.

“We at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas, and with the National Fitness Campaign, saw the need to reduce barriers to improving physical and mental health,” Sumner said.

“In 2022, we’re partnering with the National Fitness Campaign, which is the organization bringing all of this funding together, to bring up to 40 outdoor fitness courts to communities across Texas. This fitness court is the 26th of those 40, and we’re excited to complete this initiative by the end of 2024,” Sumner said.