Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre expanding programming

COCHRANE— The Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre has made some changes to its operations in response to the easement of public health restrictions on March 1.

After months of closure, the Jayman BUILT Aquatics Centre is set to reopen to the public on March 15, barring any last-minute changes or requests made by Alberta Health Services, said programs manager Brooke Sabourin.

“We are working with AHS right now and they’re still bringing down some guidelines about what can and cannot happen in the water. We’re just working out the fine details with them on when and where to wear a mask, and what type of activities are actually permitted in the water,” Sabourin said.

The most recent facility update states activities currently allowed are the use of the lap pool for low-intensity individual exercise, single household use of the leisure pool and use of the Warm Water Therapy Pool for low-intensity individual therapy.

Several registered programs are also set to resume at the pool including Red Cross Swim Lessons, AquaFit, Warm Water Stretching, Healing Movement classes and Noodle-itis classes.

Michelle Everett, sales and marketing manager at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre, said those activities may be subject to change and will be clarified before the facility’s official opening.

Low-intensity group fitness classes have also resumed, which includes classes like Vinyasa Yoga, Mobility Programming and the Active Forever classes.

Because the provincial regulations only allow for low-intensity indoor fitness activities, returning members to the facility must agree to the terms at the time of booking.

The Alberta government website categorizes low-intensity exercise as activities that have a low depth and rate of respiration.

The recent facility update clarifies further and categorizes low-intensity activities as those where the participant can “talk easily with full sentences” during exercise with a mask.

Sabourin said the response has been positive so far and many of the returning members have been happy to get back into the facility.

“Our staff specifically have been trained to a certain extent to inform our public and work with them to ensure that everyone is working out safely. Especially when you have that mask on, we want to make sure that the heart rate is staying low and breathing is controlled,” she said. “A lot of it is keeping an eye on our members, watching how they’re working out and checking in with them.”

High-intensity workouts are still allowed under the current health measures, as long as they are done on a one-on-one basis with a trainer present.

Those sessions are still available for booking at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

Memberships were automatically suspended when the province initially placed restrictions on indoor fitness activities, and remain inactive for members who have not returned to the facility.

“We want people to be able to come back when they’re comfortable, so we don’t want to just activate everyone because their situations vary right now,” Everett said. “Because there are limited spaces available right now what we don’t want to do is activate everyone and not have everyone come take advantage of the classes and times they want. This is very much easing back in and giving them the comfort to know that they can come back when they’re ready.”

Monthly memberships are available, as are single-use passes and 30-day passes, Everett said, but the facility is not currently selling annual memberships.

All sessions at the facility must be pre-booked as per Alberta Health guidelines.

So far, people have been excited to come back to the facility and the response from the public has been positive, Sabourin said.

Everett added that the staff at the facility is glad to be back and able to offer the community a space to get active and healthy, and hopes that the community has the confidence in them to provide a safe environment to pursue their fitness goals.

“We are doing everything that we possibly can to give people that outlet, to come back, to be able to join classes and exercise,” Everett said. “We really feel good about it. Everything that we can do we are doing and being very careful."