Ron Werner.
The Manawatū campus Recreation Centre sports courts have re-opened following a 36-month refurbishment.
The courts were closed while the University carried out essential maintenance, including fixing a leaky roof. The Sports Hall with its newly sanded floor accommodates basketball, badminton, volleyball, futsal and netball. The three glass-backed squash courts have also been refurbished.
To celebrate the opening, the Recreation Centre offered staff and students free access to the gym, classes and courts for the past week.
Recreation Centre operations manager Ron Werner says between 700 and 1000 people use the facilities daily and he has noticed an increase in foot traffic since the courts re-opened.
“We were fortunate enough to be able to use the academic teaching gym space while the refurbishment was taking place,” Mr Werner says. “This enabled us to continue to carry on with some of our social leagues but having the courts back will open up more opportunities for students to be active. The court spaces will have a massive impact on the students’ ability to be active and also have a lot of fun with it.”
The University will host the New Zealand Racketlon Open in February, where players face-off in table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis, going from the smallest racket to the largest. There is a set in each of the four different sports, each game goes to 21 points and the player with the most points across all four sports wins.
The Manawatu Recreation Centre is one of only a few facilities in New Zealand that the four racquet sports can be played without driving to other locations.