By the Public Communications Office
In this episode of “What’s Up, College Station?,” Marketing Coordinator Grace Hallowell and Parks and Recreation Activities Assistant Patrick Lewis discuss the Southwood Community Center’s lineup of engaging activities.
Transcript
Grace Hallowell:
What’s up College Station? My name is Grace Hallowell, and today I am joined with Patrick Lewis from our Parks and Recreation Department.
Patrick Lewis:
Howdy. We’re going to be talking a little bit about Southwood today and some of the fall programs coming up.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes, it’s exciting. We are in our studio for this show, right here in City Hall. We are also kind of changing too. If you’re used to watching the Stuff You Don’t Usually See videos, we’re, with the new year, starting a new program. Patrick is here to kick things off to talk about the exciting things happening at the Southwood Community Center.
Patrick Lewis:
Yeah. The main new thing we have there is the Taekwondo class taught by Jose Aponte. He has been doing Taekwondo for about 28 years, he is experienced in the International Taekwondo Federation, and he has his sixth-degree black belt. He’ll be teaching a variety of different ages from 3 and up, and he’ll also have an adult self-defense class as well. Those classes for the kids will be Monday through Wednesday from 6:15-7:15p.m. The adult self-defense classes will be from 8:00-8:45 a.m. Monday and Wednesday. We also have a meditation program going on for teens ages 13-17 taught by an instructional assistant professor for the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Management at Texas A&M.
The classes are designed to learn about the three elements of self-motivated leadership; relax the body for health, quiet the chaotic mind for serenity and mental clarity, and calm the emotions to self-lead from courage, compassion, and love. This class is designed to teach teens how to harness their emotions and make them useful. A great afterschool program to get through the hard days of life.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes, meditation is very important. Especially at that age. You have school, you have homework, friends, parents…
Patrick Lewis:
Finals, tests coming up and I think all the new different tax programs or I guess stars programs, those tests coming up.
Grace Hallowell:
So finding those moments of calm is very, very important.
Patrick Lewis:
It’s a life skill. Throughout life, you’ll have those hard times and hopefully this will be a chance to potentially learn those skills and carry them on while some fun, meet new people.
Grace Hallowell:
So what else is going on?
Patrick Lewis:
For a different group, we also have some yoga classes coming along. We have beginner yoga and gentle yoga. These classes are included with a senior membership. Beginner yoga is suitable for anyone. Gentle yoga is for those with little experience with yoga, or are looking for yoga as a new challenge, not to break them. These classes are taught by a certified yoga instructor, Lynne Minton, and don’t forget to bring your yoga mats. Also, we’ll have Friday night Bingo at the Southwood Community Center. I believe it’s going to be the first Friday of each month, and we’re going to start that on February 6th.
And last but not least, we’re going to try to have a game for all, which is basically a community game night the fourth Tuesday and Friday of each month. We’re going to have a whole bunch of board games. People are welcome to bring their kids as long as they have an adult with them, and we have games like Catan, chess, checkers and a variety of other games. Or, if you ever just want to come here and bring your own board game from home, just make sure it’s family friendly and appropriate. It will be a fun way to bring people together and just play some games.
Grace Hallowell:
Awesome! All of this information can be found at cstx.gov/southwood. Right on the website. Everything is listed by date, age range, restrictions, stuff like that. So what else is going on?
Patrick Lewis:
We still have our standard programs. We have line dancing for beginners for the seniors, and we have advanced line dancing Monday, Wednesday, Friday. We also have the senior program Foreversize. Doesn’t matter how physically fit you are, it’s a class that you’ll do some aerobic activity and listen to music by Helene, and they’ll guide you through some steps to get yourself moving in a friendly environment. If you don’t feel like you can stand up and do all the activities, we have nice soft cushioned chairs where you can go at your own pace. The important thing is when you do these exercises, listen to your body. Each person has their own degree or pace and we’re trying to work and build that up so it’s fun, friendly, and good exercise.
Grace Hallowell:
Yes, definitely check out Southwood. It’s a really nice facility that we have here. The dance floor, there’s a disco ball and you can rent Southwood too if you’re having your own private event, correct?
Patrick Lewis:
Correct. We have a lot of different baby showers, birthday parties, and just kind of family gatherings there as well. Our game room can hold about 75 people and the meeting room can hold about 30 to 40. One thing I did forget, we do have senior nights for the seniors. These happen at a lot of different locations, but ours will basically be a dance night along with some games. You can come mix and mingle and have some fun. I think there will be two at Southwood, maybe two at the Lincoln Center, and then one at Lick Creek for this spring.
Grace Hallowell:
Gotcha. Yeah, it’s a good way to make friends and have some fun.
Patrick Lewis:
Yes.
Grace Hallowell:
All right. Well thanks for joining us, Patrick, in our new setup in the studio.
Patrick Lewis:
Thanks for having me, Grace.
Grace Hallowell:
And that’s what’s up!
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