The Battalion
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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.
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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
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