As students jogged along the indoor track upstairs and pedaled on the exercise bikes near the tall glass windows, more than 100 faculty, staff, students and guests applauded Tuesday afternoon’s ribbon-cutting at the newly renovated Southwest Recreation Center.
UF officials, including President Bernie Machen, spoke to commemorate the building’s official grand opening.
Standing just inside the new front entrance, viewing the completed center for the first time, Machen said it looked ‘spectacular.’
“You know it’s a good renovation when you can’t remember the old building,” he said.
Speaking to a crowd that included recreational-activities representatives from the University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, University of West Florida and Florida A&M University, Machen said he was impressed with the facility, which he called the cornerstone of the southwest corner of campus.
“We want students to be healthy,” he said. “But more importantly, we want to prepare them to be healthy for the rest of their lives.”
After the ribbon-cutting, all were invited on tours of the facility, and cake was served in the lounge area, which has several large flat screen televisions and a smoothie bar.
Robert Carroll, director of campus recreation at Florida A&M, said the additions and renovations make for a phenomenal facility.
“Now it looks like you’ve reclaimed your spot at the top of the recreational totem pole,” he said.
Students rushed in for the RecSports Extravaganza, in which a few hundred students flocked to a basketball court for the Sport Clubs fair, fitness demonstrations and free T-shirts.
The Sport Clubs fair, which is typically held at the Broward Outdoor Recreation Complex, drew more interest than usual.
