Rec Center not cause of too much
excitement
Commentary
Julie Ann Matonis

My time is up.

I’ve been dreading this week for months: The University Recreation Center is open.

I had an excuse for more than a year. Now, there is no legitimate reason why I’m not working out at the new Rec Center. From this day forward, I will be branded lazy.

The campus is buzzing with excitement because the Rec Center finally opened. I’ve heard all about the rock-climbing wall, the return of the racquetball courts, the indoor pool and the usual treadmills and weights.
However, nobody seems to share my sentiments and the peer-pressure is back to haunt me. When everyone else is eager to test the new equipment, I’ll be waiting for their reports. This isn’t to say, as some people have suggested, that I will be sitting on the couch eating chocolates.

Too cliché.

But I never worked out at the Rickel Building. For more than two years I made excuses. I did get dragged over there once by my well-intentioned friends. All the treadmills and bikes were full so I made a hasty exit. Crisis averted.

Then came the great news: The Rickel was being renovated. Everyone else groaned and complained. I was ecstatic.

It’s not that I’ve never been to the gym. The fact that I can count the number of times on my hands is beside the point.

I don’t see the point in riding a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill. If I’m going to do either, I want to be going somewhere. The thought of putting all of my energy into riding a bike and never getting to see different scenery is exasperating.

It already drives me crazy that I can work for hours and still never seem to get through my to-do list. Why would I want to go to the gym, where I supposedly could relax, and have the same thing happen to me? That would drive me to early residence at a state mental facility.

Before you suggest I find some other way to work out, save your breath; it’s not going to happen.

I will never be found rock-climbing and I’m not a champion swimmer. Playing a sport involving a racquet is just asking me to hit someone with it. Walking is my safest option.

Maybe I do have a few extra weeks of excuses left. The Rec Center is sure to be one of the busiest places on campus.

Once again, crisis averted.

Opinion Editor Julie Ann Matonis is a senior broadcast journalism major from San Antonio. She can be reached at (j.a.matonis@tcu.edu).

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2003