New Rec Center well worth the wait
If the brand new Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center had opened last Wednesday, the odds of us putting out this week's issue would have been as likely as the football team cracking the top 25 in the polls. After looking over the Rec Center's litany of features, there is simply no way we would have elected to spend our time pumping out this Family's Weekend edition of the Thresher (see story, page 8).Just look at what Rice's newest addition has to offer. Brand new banks of cardio machines. A dance studio with springy floorboards. Stationary bikes that allow for spin classes without the instructor berating you for your lethargy. Kalwall windows to both filter light and absorb excess heat, preventing the body-odor humidity that we all love about our local gyms.
Pardon us while we pick our jaws up from the ground.
To say this is an upgrade over Autry Gym is like calling Larry Slezak decent at the saxophone (see story, page 10). Did you ever think you would need your iPod to play video on your cardio machine? Heck, did you ever even imagine it? All of this and the place will be LEED certified. Incredible.
So what if no alcohol is allowed in the facility? The Rec Center may one day be open to hosting college nights or other college-associated events, but a tapped keg does not a party make. We won't need a Bud Light while we're lounging by the pool, taking in an outdoor basketball game while we wait for the pool's length to shift from regulation-size to Olympic-size.
Of course, the question remains as to what to do with Autry Gym. Enough of the old facility has been replaced with the newer-better-cleaner Tudor Fieldhouse, so there's little nostalgia to be had from the swapping of old workout equipment for new. If anything, we are just glad to be rid of that metal box that blocked easy entrance to Reckling Park. The empty pool and abandoned racquetball courts are impeding no one's business, so their immediate destruction or transformation is not of the utmost necessity. Their situation will eventually need to be handled - just not today.
Likewise, the financial concerns of the graduate students and faculty members, which were expressed three weeks ago ("New recreation center fees add financial constraints," Sept. 4), should be addressed. While not exactly exorbitant, Michael Contreras was spot-on when he delineated his concerns that the Rec Center was turning away a wide swath of its potential consumer base. Subsidizing or even reducing the price would be a welcome measure for a part of Rice that is just as deserving of the new Rec Center as are the undergraduates.
In the meantime, though, we'll be storing our belongings in those digital lockers, taking in the yoga classes and relaxing by the swaying palm trees, thankful that those 18 months of patience paid off. The new Rec Center opens today. Go enjoy it.
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