The Yara Centre at 1220 High St. W is a 120,000-sq-ft building that serves the community with indoor, climate-controlled recreation space year-round, and is especially important to seniors in Moose Jaw — which is why the facility has many programs designed for people 55+.
"We've actually expanded quite a bit from what used to be our normal 55+ programming," said Dacey Seaborg, Yara Centre's manager. "Before, we just had our 10 a.m. to 10:50 classes, and now we've expanded to where we have 11 to 11:50 a.m. classes three days a week as well, so that our 55+ crowd can do yoga and pilates after that first class of the day."
The drop-in fitness class schedule for Yara Centre is available at moosejaw.ca/parks-recreation-culture/55-fitness. The schedule shows the wide range of fitness opportunities for older folks, from cycling to resistance bands, gentle yoga, balance and mobility, and more.
"The nice thing with these fitness classes targeted for our older community is that they're all chair-based," Seaborg explained. "So, they can choose to do the class with or without using a chair, but there aren't any movements that can't be done without support if needed, and a lot of our seniors take advantage of that. There's minimal, or often no mat work, so they don't have to get up and down off the ground or anything."
The drop-in price for 55+ fitness classes is only $6.25, but the City of Moose Jaw's inclusive Recreation Pass is the better deal. The price is kept low ($43.75/month for Yara Centre only, or $48.75 for the full pass), and the full pass includes the Kinsmen Sportsplex pool with its regular low-impact water workouts and lap swims.
Aside from classes, Yara Centre also has a fitness facility upstairs, with free weights, cardio machines, and stretching areas. The facility's huge multi-use fields are surrounded by a four-lane track, 365 meters on the inside lanes and 375 meters on the outside lanes.
Seaborg said that she and her staff are always looking for more ideas and ways to support the 55+ community.
"If you've ever been to the Yara Centre, our 55+ community has an amazing bond. They're very welcoming, and everyone just clicks and supports each other, it's amazing, so that's why we're always looking for new suggestions and feedback," she explained.
"We're looking for that social aspect, too, right? We want to get the senior community out to socialize ... So, it's not just the classes, either, we do offer lawn bowling, which has had a really good turnout for the 55+ crowd. And Monday to Friday, we offer the Seniors Walking program from 9 to 11 a.m. on our indoor track, and that's only $25 a month, so that's a big thing for our seniors. And they're able to bring any mobility aids they need, so their walkers or canes or anything like that to support them."
For more information on Yara Centre, including programs, drop-in times, or to reserve the turf for a birthday or other event, visit the City of Moose Jaw website at www.moosejaw.ca and click on Parks, Recreation and Culture, or call (306) 694-4560.
