In mid-August, Brock University plans to take another step in its carefully phased campus reopening when the Brock Sports Performance Centre will be made available for use by a limited number of varsity student-athletes. A specific date for the reopening should be confirmed early next month.

The Performance Centre will be the first Brock athletic facility to resume activities since campus operations were suspended last spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came the same day the Niagara Region entered phase 3 of Ontario’s pandemic reopening plan, on Friday, July 24.

Located on the lower level of the Walker Complex, the Performance Centre is a specialized training space primarily designated for use by varsity athletes. Under normal circumstances it is also used by elite or up-and-coming athletes from the local community and across Canada.

Use of the Performance Centre will be booked and controlled by Brock Sports Performance staff. For this first step of its reopening, its use will be limited to 6-8 students at any given time.

Access to other campus recreation and sport-specific venues will be incrementally increased as academic activity resumes in September.

Anna Lathrop, Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Students, says Brock’s primary concern is protecting personal safety. She says there is no schedule at this point for specific facility reopenings, but the University will closely monitor the situation as personal use is incrementally increased.

“We also continue to take guidance from public health officials and national sports bodies on the safest ways to let people start using some of these facilities,” said Lathrop.

She says plans to begin opening venues such as the Eleanor Misener Aquatic Centre and the Ian Beddis Gymnasium will be developed and shared with the Brock community in the coming weeks as the University monitors the success of initial measures.