Many aspects of life have been altered over the past five months, from how people enjoy watching their favorite sports teams, to how they shop at a local Walmart; and while many wish life at APSU was like how it was pre-pandemic, that is not the case.

Despite the changes, student-athletes are still finding new ways to prepare for their seasons. In addition, recreational activities around campus, while still available, have been altered in efforts to provide students a fun and safe way to stay in shape when they return back to Stacheville.

When COVID-19 began to affect day-to-day living, some of the first locations to shut down were gyms and work out facilities. This heavily impacted the many people who make it a daily tradition to exercise before work or school.

However, it seemingly affected no one more than athletes and, in the case of APSU, student-athletes. With uncertainty about the situation in the early stages of the pandemic, APSU coaches sent weekly home workout and dietary plans to their players in order to continue conditioning before their return to Clarksville.

As gyms were granted permission to reopen, student-athletes started to swarm back to them. Many athletes that live in the Clarksville area returned to gyms and workout facilities such as Gold’s Gym, Anytime Fitness, the YMCA and Planet Fitness in order to stay in shape before and after returning to campus for team workouts.

These are just some ways that student-athletes were able to stay in shape during the beginning stages of the pandemic. There are many ways of which students can stay in shape when returning to campus as well, one being at the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center.

APSU’s Foy Fitness & Recreation Center will be opened during the fall semester to all students and staff members with a student ID. The Foy offers a multitude of exercise equipment, indoor basketball courts, a one-tenth mile indoor track, a climbing wall and much more. The recreation center will be open Monday through Sunday with limited hours to allow its staff to clean equipment periodically.

The Foy’s outdoor pool will also be open to students and staff when they return to campus. Open swim times will be available throughout the week for the pool, but capacity will be limited to 25 people at a time.

Other recreational activities will still be available to students during the fall semester; intramural sports, such as basketball, flag football and ultimate frisbee, are currently scheduled to take place. Details on how to register for a club sport can be found on APSU’s website under the “Recreation” tab.

For those interested in walking, running, biking and/or sightseeing during the fall semester, there are three walking trails that take students through and around APSU. Illustrations for these paths can be found throughout the campus. The city of Clarksville also has a multitude of walking and biking paths such as the two-mile, self-guided tour around historic downtown Clarksville as well as the five-mile Clarksville Greenway.

It is safe to say that times have changed. There are many precautions that people have had to take in their daily lives that six months ago would have seemed absurd; nevertheless, while students are faced with constant changes in today’s society, it is our duty to adapt to the best of our abilities.

When students and staff members return to campus, during this time of vast uncertainty, one thing that Governors can be certain about is that APSU offers plenty of options for students to stay healthy on campus, while staying safe.