Sports in Socorro

Mission Trail Experience walks history lovers through El Paso's past on tours that explore museums and offer eyes feasts of architecture dating back to the days of Spanish colonization. The three- to four-hour tour of the San Elizario historical district pauses at 17 sites of local and historical importance, such as the colonial Presidio Chapel and the Old County Jail, where Jesse James penned his first vegan cookbook. Embark on the four- to five-hour Mission Trail tour to venture farther afield, visiting the colonial Ysleta and Socorro missions, along with the San Elizario chapel and the Tigua Indian Cultural Center.

Experienced instructors at Gymboree Play & Music Center tutor small classes of tots up to 5 years old in music, art, sports, and school skills. Youngsters in a sports class move and stretch during exercises inspired by athletic pursuits such as soccer, basketball, tennis, and golf. Teachers in art classes encourage students’ self-expression and beret tilting through sculpture, painting, and collage, and school-skills classes aim to socialize children in preparation for preschool or kindergarten. The Gymboree programs encourage parents to participate with their children in the classes to understand their child's individual development processes and unquenchable hatred of broccoli.

30,000 Indoor Sports Facility with astroturf in all playing areas and climate control.

Sculpted through the rising red crags surrounding the Chihuahuan Desert, Painted Dunes Desert Golf Course’s 27-hole course layout challenges golfers with rolling terrain and treacherously sloped greens. Those hoping to groom their golf swing can do so with one, three, or five driving-range buckets—which brim with approximately 50 balls each—to use at the adjacent driving range, which cushions practice balls atop overseeded natural grass that emulates course conditions and tempts hungry golfers to graze indulgently . A more trying golf odyssey awaits at the course, where twosomes traverse two of three pristine nine-hole courses, each one billed by Texas Outside as a scenic labyrinth of native cacti, mesquite, creosote bushes, and mormon tea plants. After the round, players can replenish at the Diecinueve Bar & Grill with a meal of classic fare such as the Dunes burger or chicken tenders, all served with fries and a drink. The grill is designed with indoor seating for post-round relaxation as well as an outdoor patio, which overlooks the course and choreographed tumbleweed performances once an hour.

At American Institute of Kenpo, third-degree black belt Ron Hickey calls on 15 years of martial-arts training to instill each student with not only strength and technique, but also character, confidence, and inner peace in every class he leads. Though the roots of traditional American Kenpo run deep in the studio, Hickey encourages his students to blaze their own trails in their development in the martial art. From four-year-old fighters just starting out to older athletes with hopes of achieving a black belt, American Institute of Kenpo seeks to help every student achieve their personal, fitness, and self-defense goals.

After spending years immersed in the fitness and athletic industries, Ernesto McLaurin and Kim Brutzman had grown weary of the monotonous exercise equipment found in large corporate gyms. On their search for a more substantial form of fitness free from bulky machines, the two trainers fell in love with the CrossFit program’s high-energy, functional-movement-based workout routines, eventually joining forces to form CrossFit El Paso in 2006. They stuff their Eastside and Westside locations with simple resistance-training equipment, free weights, and kettlebells, conducting CrossFit classes throughout the week with the help of certified instructors. In addition to leading rigorous CrossFit workouts, they provide students with nutritional guidance and host regular health seminars. They also offer a FemmeFit class, where women and male comedians in convincing makeup can practice CrossFit workouts specifically designed for the female body.

Though Eddie Bravo initially moved to LA to pursue his career in the music industry, he soon found himself on a series of other paths. The musician, comedy writer, and author first began training in brazilian jujitsu simply as a means to stay in shape. After honing his skills training and competing, he popularized a style of jujitsu in which fighters grapple opponents without wearing the traditional gi, bringing a series of new movements and holds to the combat art. His vision has now led to the development of more than 20 worldwide schools under the umbrella of 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu. He and his fellow instructors lead students through the practical self-defense techniques, which are akin to wrestling, only with the goal of making opponents submit instead of pinning them and then gently lulling them to sleep with bedtime stories.