Mariners Announce Recreation Return

Mariners Athletics & Recreation has reopened the weight room and gym floor in the VIU Gymnasium as of January 11. Outdoor events are also back on schedule. The announcement was made on the Mariners website on January 7—one day before the BC government extended its COVID-19 restrictions on team sports and gatherings to February 5.

The Mariners kept the weight room and gym floor open to pre-booked sessions earlier in the fall semester, but the rise of COVID-19 cases in BC caused the Mariners to push pause on all activities. Everything from student use of facilities to in-person practices for VIU’s team sports was cancelled on November 17. The recent announcement marks the first return to activity.

VIU is again offering pre-booked slots to students and staff for facilities such as the weight room and gym floor, as well as outdoor events.

Weight room sessions will be available Tuesday to Friday in three time slots: 9–10:30 am, 11:30 am–1 pm, and 2–3:30 pm, and Mondays 9–10:30 am. Gym floor times can be found here. Masks are mandatory at all times within the gym, except while using cardio equipment such as treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals.

Outdoor events are also resuming in 2021, with activities like paddleboarding and river rafting in March and April and winter-themed adventures in January and February such as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. A full list of activities and dates can be found here.

Although the Mariners’ return to recreation comes at an odd time, with BC extending its COVID-19 restrictions a day after the announcement, the restrictions set out by the province have never applied to individual training, and gyms have remained open. Instead, the extension continues to prohibit adult team sports, among other gatherings.

Details of BC’s restrictions can be found on the BC government’s website, and sign-up for VIU Mariners recreation activities can be found here.