Delays in repairing broken machines and westside restrictions leave FLC members unsatisfied
The Centre of Kinesiology and Health Studies (CKHS) has many facilities for the students like the Fitness and Lifestyle Centre (FLC) gyms with an indoor 200 metre track, the Aquatics Centre, and spaces like volleyball and outdoor courts.
Of all these facilities, the FLC is the most popular on campus amongst not just the students but also the working University of Regina (UofR) faculty and staff.
Affordability and Convenience
The FLC attracts people for many reasons. Students go to the FLC since the service charge for the gym is included in their tuition fees and they might as well make use of a service that they pay for. For faculty and staff, it is the convenience of having a gym at their workplace. People who are not a part of the campus community also find the FLC convenient because of its affordable prices.
Christy Owul, who graduated from the University of Regina in Summer 2025, continues to use the FLC at least four times a week. Owul said she likes to continue going to the FLC “because of the price” and that “[the prices are] fair compared to the gyms like the Goodlife.”
Students on the other hand think working out after a long day at the university is a good way to relieve stress.
Zorawar Singh-Gahra, an engineering student who works out at FLC three to five times a week said, “It’s kind of a stress reliever […] You just come in [and] get rid of the stress after the classes.”
New equipment and reforms
Many FLC members believe that it should upgrade some of the machines and make adding new equipment a priority. Others think the indoor track should be relocated for safety reasons.
When asked about which new machines should be added, Elijah Arimor, a final year kinesiology and health studies major said, “Mostly chest presses. You need different types of equipment for the chest press and there are only a few [here].”
Singh-Gahra believes that, “It would be nice to have some new equipment […] some are just way too old except the treadmills.”
The current interior of the FLC is such that a huge part of the indoor track is between the treadmills and other heavy machines. This can jeopardise the safety of both, the runners on the track and the people working out on the machine. Owul therefore believes that the track should be relocated.
I was taking summer classes and there were two pieces of equipment that were broken [during summer 2025] and they weren’t fixed until [fall 2025].” – Zorawar Singh-Gahra, student, UofR
Westside Restriction
The west region of the FLC is often restricted to regular members. It can sometimes be booked for things like the UofR athletes’ training or other programs set up there for youth and elderly recreational activities.
Members have mixed opinions on not being able to use the west area when they are booked.
Singh-Gahra said, “I think it’s fair because they represent the UofR.”
Owul however disagrees because she prefers working out on the west end of the gym as it is less populated. “That’s a problem because I actually like working out at the [west] end of the gym, because I feel like there are less people [there],” she shared.
Arimor doesn’t mind the restriction because he prefers working out in areas of the FLC which are not on the west end. However, he said he understands that the west end being unavailable sometimes might be problematic for some members.
Maintenance and Hygiene
All the FLC members agreed on one point that maintenance of the broken machines is regularly delayed.
Singh-Gahra who was a regular during summer said, “I was taking summer classes and there were two pieces of equipment that were broken [during summer 2025] and they weren’t fixed until [fall 2025].”
Arimor recollected an incident when he was working out on one of the machines and it abruptly stopped working. He complained to the front desk about the issue, but it wasn’t fixed. “I don’t think it’s still fixed at all,” he said.
In terms of hygiene at the FLC, members think it is well maintained when the crowd is less. However, the sanitizing bottles used to clean the equipments after use run low when the gym is overcrowded which to many, is an inconvenience.
While the FLC provides students, faculty, and alumni an affordable way to stay fit and de-stress from classes, concerns over equipment upgrades, maintenance, and space restrictions linger.
