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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1998)
The Battalion flMPCIS Monday • June 29,, itness Frenzy Student Rec Center hosts Second Annual Texas Fitness Instructor Training Work Story By James Francis S aturday, Texas A&M's Department of Recre ational Sports was host to more than 110 Texas fitness instructors for the Second Annual Texas Fitness Instructor Training (TEXFIT) Work shop. In its inaugural year, TEXFIT was held at the University of Texas in Austin, where instructors from Southwest Texas University attended work shops created to help inform them on new fitness trends, provide an exchange of ideas concerning choreography with other instructors and gain over all health and fitness knowledge. This year, however, the workshop expanded to include 11 other Texas institutions of higher edu cation. Those in attendance were: University of Texas at Austin, Sam Houston, St. Phillips -San An tonio, Del Mar-Corpus Christi, College of the Mainland-Texas City, Texas Tech, Kingwood Col lege, Texas Women's University, Hardin Simmons and Tyler Junior College. DeAun Woosely, fitness coordinator for the Texas A&M Department of Recreational Sports, said TEX FIT offers a great opportunity for networking be tween university fitness instructors. She also said with students involved, they have the ability to present and teach their methods and ideas of fitness to others. As far as popular trends in the fitness world go, Woosely said some of the more notable or up-and- coming workouts include the use of spinning bicy cles, boxing, sports conditioning and water aerobics. “We're one of the first universities [in Texas] to get spinning bicycles," she said. “It's huge on the East and West Coasts, and we feel lucky that our Photos By Brandon Bollom university was able to get these bikes." In the fall, Woosely said students can look for ward to different levels of spinning being offered as well as the department's usual workout options. It may seem to outsiders thatTEXFIT simply rep resents a convention of exercise, but for the partici pants, it is a time to fully realize and share their de sires for careers in the fitness industry. Ressie Johnson, mother of Sophia Jordan, a Hardin Simmons graduate student and aerobics instructor, said her daughter's undergraduate emphasis was psychology, but she switched over to health and physical education for her graduate studies. “She teaches five days a week, and she really enjoys it," Johnson said, “but she's been having knee problems." Johnson said even with the doctor's recommen dations for a less stressful workout routine, her daughter responds, "Mom, that's my job. 1 can't cut back on it." “1 think her dream maybe is to open a facility of her own," Johnson said. Jordan also teaches at a health and fitness center in Abilene. As the upbeat sounds of The Cranberries and Quad City DJs "C'mon ride that train" fueled the workout rooms, TEXFIT ended with a 4 p.m. pool party for the participants to relax and share fitness knowledge. Until next year's workshop, the instructors return to their perspective col leges and universities to spread the word and well-being of fitness. a ■ ..i lifc K m R.J. Perez-Cantu, boxing instructor and a Texas A&M graduate student in exercise physiology, practices techniques during the boxing workshop at TEXFIT on Saturday. Jacquire Grace, a senior Texas A&M exercise technic tries out the spinning bicycles during a TEXFIT works Randall Dawsoi intramural director; 1 St. Phillips College San Antonio lunge during one of the ste[ aerobics workshops TEXFIT on Saturdaj H.wl poina 'ofessJ Branl ry Uni and histl 1 He hi jve apl jurnalsl science f and The! He a| w Hch \\| Branl cturerl 16 Netll His tj ude th | a ' Can J Whil] ; being |°untric "The j^ound 1 Pporta
