By Kyle Gee
The Provo City Recreation Center is an inexpensive alternative for students who must pay to use BYU”s recreational and fitness facilities because they are not currently enrolled in classes.
“I went to the Provo Rec. Center because I wasn”t allowed entry into the BYU weight room since I”m not taking classes this term,” said Emily Hill, a junior majoring in early childhood education. “The rec center was the next best option.”
The Provo City Recreation Center, located behind Provo High School, was built in 1975 as a joint venture between Provo City and the Provo City School District.
According to the director, Sherman Miller, the main goal of the center is to provide everyone with the opportunity to improve his or her wellness, while having a positive, fun and safe experience.
“It was different than I was expecting,” Hill said. “It is much smaller than BYU”s facility, but I would go again.”
During the school year, Provo High School students use the recreation center for physical education classes in the daytime. Miller said the center is not as busy during the summer months.
Miller said the fastest growing and most popular areas in the facility are the free-standing weight room and the cardio weight room.
“The interest in the weight rooms has grown distinctly,” said Miller, who has directed the recreation center for the last 15 years. “A lot of people that are coming to the weight room are 18 and older and college students.”
Miller said the city spent $30,000 to upgrade and improve the cardio weight room.
“The weight room didn”t provide all the equipment that I use at BYU, but it did have a couple of new things that I enjoyed,” Hill said.
In addition to the two weight rooms, the Provo Recreation Center also has a large indoor swimming pool, ten racquetball and Wally ball courts and a court for basketball shooting. The center also offers swimming and water aerobics classes.
Although the recreation center sits on Provo School District property and is managed by the city, Miller emphasized it is fully open to the public.
“We totally want the BYU student body to feel welcome to come use our facilities,” Miller said.
Patrons may use the weight rooms or the pool for a day rate of $2. An all-day whole facility pass to the center is $3. Family and individual passes are also available.
One of the reasons Hill said she went to the city recreation center was because it only costs $2 to use both weight rooms.
Miller said he wishes more BYU students knew the center is located so close to campus and it is open to everyone, including BYU students.
The Department of Health and Human Performance at BYU oversees the scheduling and use of many facilities available to students and faculty interested in improving their fitness.
All BYU students and faculty that have a current BYU ID have free access to the pool as well as the indoor and outdoor tracks and tennis courts. Indoor courts can be used for volleyball, badminton, Wally ball and racquetball, during specified free play hours.
Mike Hansen, a student manager for the department of health and human performance, said that the basketball courts and the academic weight room are the facilities used most at BYU.
BYU students not currently enrolled in classes, BYU alumni and non-BYU students may use the facilities after purchasing a guest pass.
Discounted guest passes are available to non-full time BYU students for $5 a day, $22.50 a term, or $45 a semester.
BYU alumni may purchase guest passes for $5 a day, $60 a month, or $240 a semester.
Any non-BYU student guest may purchase a day guest pass for $5.
