Simon Elfrink
Sports Editor
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The Murray State Wellness Center recently updated its availability in light of Kentucky’s new 60 percent capacity limit for indoor public spaces. 

Maximum capacity for students to workout in the free weights area increased from 12 to 20. Director of Campus and Wellness Travis Rawe said he hopes the update will help eliminate long lines and free up more space for students to safely get their exercise. 

Rawe said that while the COVID-19 pandemic is still prevalent in most aspects of everyday life, the emergence of the vaccine, combined with the careful nature of the state and university administrations, has convinced him and his staff that campus wellness and intramurals can continue to take a small step back to normal. This opportunity spurred Rawe and his staff to open a new three-on-three basketball league on March 29, along with wiffle ball and kickball. 

“The vaccine coming out has played a large role,” Rawe said. “But the University as a whole is beginning to roll back some of the limitations COVID has placed on the University’s programs and facilities.”

Despite Rawe and Murray State’s excitement to take back some semblance of normalcy, Rawe himself was hesitant to assure students that contact sports like soccer and flag football will return. 

“We didn’t want to take those chances so all the sports we’ve been offering up until now have been low impact, non-contact sports, singles and doubles events, team sports where you’re not coming into contact with opposing players.”

Rawe said the choice for three-on-three basketball was because a pair of small teams is much easier to monitor for safe and healthy protocols, especially mask compliance. Rawe was optimistic about going forward since the compliance to mask restrictions so far has been acceptable across the board for intramural sports. 

“We’ve been really lucky and students have been great this semester with the intramural sports we’ve offered already in continuing to wear that mask,” Rawe said. “I think because students have been so willing to wear the mask and not really fighting it this semester with all the programs we’ve offered, I think that’s what kind of paved the way for us to be able to offer this three-on-three now instead of waiting.”

As manageable as three-on-three basketball is to Rawe and his staff, the likelihood of getting the hoops installed back in the Wellness Center for pick-up ball is not something Rawe sees happening as soon as many students would like. 

Rawe said, “In intramurals we know that there’s only going to be the teams that are scheduled to play at that time coming at that time, to where pick-up you may have 30 or 40 people show up and want to play pick-up basketball, that goes against all the policies we have in play.”  Rawe shares the hopes and eagerness of the students who want to get back on every field and every court on campus. Rawe was adamant that he wants those things as bad as anyone else, but it’s simply too soon to say for sure. Still, with the way things are going with the vaccine and compliance to the Racer Safe and Healthy Guidelines, Rawe is confident in the university  administration’s ability to keep hope alive for the spring semester. 

“I think everybody’s hope is as more people take the vaccine, people just have to be careful,” Rawe said. “As more people get the vaccine and have the availability to take the vaccine and get it…we’ll start to see things loosened up and restrictions slightly pulled back as we’ve seen in other states.”