The Beautiful Bell Center

While in my past blogs I have talked about the many different places to sit down and enjoy yourself on Trinity's campus, in this blog I would like to talk about one of the places where you can go on campus to be active yet still relax. This place is none other than the William H. Bell Center located in the center of lower campus. Not all people find working out or swimming or playing a pick up game of hoops relaxing but for some it is a time in which the can just forget about their worries and chill.

Bell Center Weight Room

Working out is one of the most relaxing things that I can think of. It is a time in which I can just go and lift and not have a care in the world. When I am in the gym whether it be the cardio room or the actual weight room in the Bell Center I fell liberated from all of my other responsibilities. It is a time where I can just go and take my time and listen to some music and lift. And, although physical exercise is involved, it still finds a way to help relax me. I know that others feel the same way because when I am in the weight room I usually see the same four or five faces of the some people in there day in and day out.

Hixon Pool inside Bell Athletic Center

Another one of the great places in the Bell Center to go and relax in is the pool area. I know that personally, after a long day studying and taking tests, being able to go and relax in a pool is one of the best feelings. The pool in the Bell Center not only has a swimming area but also has a few diving boards on which you can jump. The pool is always a nice temperature so it is perfect for the winter and the summer and it can be enjoyed by any trinity student at certain hours of the day.

One of the other places that are so conveniently provided for us in the Bell Center are the many basket ball courts. There are two different gyms with at least one court in them. There is Sam's Gym which is the main basketball court where the mens and women's teams play and there is Webster's Gym which is almost always open to students. In these gyms students can just go and relax and play some games of horse or any type of basket ball game that they would like. There are usually many nets down so that they can fit as many people that usually want to play at one time. I know that from personal experience there is always a court open and it always nice to get away from studying for a little while and just play a pick up games with some friends.

So overall the Bell Athletic Center is a great place to go and relax if some form of exercise is the way that you choose to relax. It has many different forms of entertainment and is open for a good portion of the day so it is always accessible for students.

Prassell Lounge Life

Photo by: Nick Darling

The next great thing to talk about on my list of relaxation spots on the Trinity University campus is the Prassell Lounge on the bottom floor of the Prassell dorms. It is one of the few extras in Prassell that make it bearable, seeing as Prassell is the furthest dorm from anything on  campus. The Prassell Lounge definately is one of the great things about Prassell. It has everything that a college student could want.

The first of the many wonders of the lounge is the television that is strategically located in the center of the back wall for all to see. It also is one of the larger of the many televisions that are on campus and may be the biggest. It is available for use by any of the Trinity students and is a great place to sit down and watch some of the college games on on Saturday afternoons. And it is surrounded by some very odd yet surprisingly comfortable padded seats.

Photo by: Nick Darling

The seats and the television do not compare to the pool table and ping pong table. I personally am a fan of Billiards as I might call it if I were trying to impress a lady friend but for now we can stick with Pool. I grew up playing Pool in my dad's office so seeing it sitting in the lounge on move in day made me quite happy. Also owning a Ping Pong table I was pleased to see that that was also an option for my enjoyment. The only problem with these two tables is that you must provide your own equipment such as balls and a que for the pool table and paddles and balls for ping pong.

Photo by: Nick Darling

The final and probably my favorite of the Prassell Lounge's many wonders is the snack machine. I know that many of you will judge me for choosing the snack machine over any of the other great things that go on in the lounge but I am often sitting in my room thinking about how hungry I am and it makes for a very easy solution. Plus the machine is filled with some of the best choices I have ever seen. Between the Flaming Hot Cheetohs and the Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies I should be satisfied until I have to move on to the junior dorms next year.

In conclusion I would say that the Prassell Lounge is one of the best places on campus to hang out and relax while you take your study breaks. It offers a few different options for entertainment and is always a nice place to just chill with some of your friends. Whether yall would like to compete in some of the greatest table games there are or just sit, eats some snacks and watch television, Prassell will meet your needs.

Library Livin'

Photo By: Judy C. 

College is all about making the grades and one of the best places to study is the library. Everyone knows that the library is quiet and a great place to go to get some work done. But no one thinks of relaxation when they think of the Coates Library on the Trinity University campus. It is actually a great place to go if you are looking for somewhere to relax on a week day night.
The library is full of couches and comfortable chairs and it has all sorts of different things for entertainment. Besides the obvious choice of reading a book, one can rent movies and have their own personal rooms to go and watch these movies. Or you can go down to CLT and work on some different fun video projects. You can also enjoy some of your coffee house favorites by going to Java City in the front of the library.Going to the library can be a great way to spend a relaxing night while you are trying to take a break in between homework, studying and sleeping.
So although it doesn't always seem like the first choice of places to relax the library is a great place to hang out if there is nothing to do.

Livin' the Dorm Life

Dorm Room Livin'

All kids dream of the day that they can get out of their house and move off to college to start life on their own. But for most college freshman their first year is not spent alone in an apartment or house. No, most of the freshman are forced to live on campus in dorms with a student that they have never met before in their lives. Unfortunately for Trinity students they know this all too well seeing as we are all forced to live on campus for at least three years. For this reason we have to find ways to entertain ourselves and decorate our dorms. Everyone knows that good posters on the wall always brightens the room and are a good way to decorate but there are many other ways to help yourself relax while sitting in your dorm room. One great way that every stereotypical college student enjoys and that is video games. With games like Call of Duty and Halo sweeping the video game world this form of electronic entertainment has taken over dorm room life. I know that in my own dorm room video games are played at least twelve hours our of the day. It also helps that my roommate brought a 58" television in the room for us to enjoy these games on. Which brings me to my next dorm room relaxation tip. Television. Trinity students are lucky because we are blessed with a wide variety of cable channels. But there is nothing better than coming back to your dorm room after a long day of classes and sitting down and watching some nice TV. But my final and most important relaxation entity that every dorm room needs is a nice comfy bed. Seeing as every day begins and ends in your bed you should always try to make it as comfortable as possible. My favorite way to make my bed comfortable is to add a nice pillow topper to my bed. As much as I appreciate the nice extra long twin beds, they are not the most comfortable things in the world so the pillow topper helps. Living in the dorm is not terrible and there is always great ways to make dorm life a little bit better.

Reason to Relax

Trinity Tower in All its Glory

College life is tough. Going to class every day and spending most nights studying and writing papers, your life can become quite hectic. Being an athlete on campus can make it even more stressful for anyone. That is why as a student you learn to use your free time wisely. One of the things that I personally like to do when I have a little bit of extra time in my day is to just sit down and relax. On the Trinity campus there are many places to sit down and relax. In my future blog posts I will explain not only some of the great places to chill on campus but also some of the great hang outs across San Antonio. Everyone knows that students don't just work hard when they are in the class room. They know that they also have to work hard when they are out of class and sitting around in their dorms, but a student cannot spend all of their free time studying. They need to sit back and enjoy some of the things that go on around them on campus. Things that can get their mind off of everything and let them forget about school for a little while. Without breaks to relax every student in America would go crazy.