Let Us Tell Your RecSports Story!
What’s your connection to RecSports? What are you up to these days?
Daniel Rincones
BA Kinesiology ’06
Daniel says some of his greatest memories as a Longhorn can be traced back to his involvement with RecSports. While serving on the Intramural Sports Council and playing intramural flag football, soccer, softball, and basketball, Daniel formed lasting memories and lasting friendships. One standout memory for Daniel is having played on a winning All-University flag football championship game with his brother, Carlos, as a teammate. Having completed a master healthcare administration program in 2015, Daniel’s career has been spent in the healthcare recruitment industry. He is currently chief operating officer for the South Texas Health System of Texas–Heart in McAllen, Texas. He and his wife, Ruby, have two children- Christian, age 3, and Sofia, age 1. Christian is well-versed in “The Eyes of Texas” and has mastered the Hook ’em Horns sign. They hope Sofia will not be far behind!
Charla Neuroth Lorenzen
MA ’01, PhD ’05 Foreign Language Education
Charla loved teaching fitness classes for RecSports, especially yoga. Her fondest memory of that time was joining co-workers in an amazing race-style competition consisting of grueling sport drills. Despite feeling as the weakest link, she pulled through at the end with her tent assembling skills which contributed to the team’s victory. Today she’s a professor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania teaching all levels of Spanish and training Spanish teachers. She has continued to teach fitness classes and for a while operated a YouTube channel offering fitness classes. She’s a 200-hour registered yoga teacher who not only aspires to be a 500-hour experienced yoga teacher but who’s working toward that goal. Meanwhile, Charla’s husband, Justin, an artist, is working on a graphic novel. She recalls how her daughter, Ava, who just graduated high school and is set to enter college, stole her spotlight at graduation as an adorable 2- year- old dressed in a UT cheerleader outfit complete with matching pompoms!
Shanky Balani
BS Computer Science ’10
Shanky says that working for RecSports never really felt like a job. It felt like home. So much so that he remained on the job at the Recreational Sports Center as an activity supervisor and building coordinator throughout his four years on the Forty Acres. When not in class Shanky would be at “the Rec Center working, napping, studying or working out.” He also found time to play intramural soccer (his main sport), flag football, and softball, as well as join the Texas Men’s Soccer Team. Shanky says he will always remember the time the Recreational Sports Center swarmed with secret service agents who were checking on security measures at the site in advance of the 2008 Democratic presidential primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. But his most treasured memory takes him back to 2009 when he was awarded the Thomas Dison Endowed Scholarship, established to honor student staff members. In 2017 Shanky earned a master’s in business administration from St. Edward’s University and currently serves as director of business intelligence with Action Behavior Centers. Shanky and his wife, Jennifer, also operate their own business, Curious Noses Dog Bakery, baking and selling all-natural dog treats. Their inspiration? Their rescue dog, Mattie. Shanky still plays soccer and is involved in Austin soccer leagues. He’s “stoked” about Austin’s new professional soccer team and will no doubt be rooting for the home team!
Tanya Simmons
BA Psychology ’95
Walking around campus her freshman year set the stage for Tanya’s time on the Forty Acres as it led her to discover Texas Gymnastics tabling outside. She signed up immediately. “It was the best decision,” she says because of the many teammates who became her best friends and the many trips they made to national competitions. When the team captain graduated Tanya’s teammates named her the successor. “No vote, just ‘you’re captain’,” she recalls with amusement. As team captain, Tanya gained experience in organizing, planning and supervision. “I would not be the person I am today without my wonderful fellow teammates, coach and friends who I met along the way through Gregory Gym or RecSports.” Those “along the ways” included playing intramurals and working part-time in the office. Tanya later earned a master’s of science degree in sports management at the University of North Texas where she served as a graduate assistant in the Recreational Sports department. Careerwise, she worked in sports marketing for several years, most notably running sports competitions for Campus Concepts. She now works for Dell Technologies Inc. as the DFW Manager of Corporate Business, and lives in nearby Sherman, Texas. Not surprisingly, this past holiday season she hosted two of her longtime Texas Gymnastics members and their families!
Let us know what you’re up to so we can share your story with other RecSports alumni. Visit utrecsports.org/mystory or send us an email at friends@utrecsports.org.
