Students can participate in virtual group exercise classes, Tootell studio cycle class, yoga on the quad, intramural cornhole, wellness journaling and more. Photos courtesy of Lacey Hylen and Siobhan Richards.
“There are so many things being offered,” said Jennifer Luther, the coordinator of marketing and memberships for the organization.
Current programs include intramural and club sports, wellness programs, and group exercise classes. Reservations to work out at the fitness centers can also be made around campus. Some sailing programs are also in progress, but are ending soon due to colder weather. Most of these events have been available on the IMLeagues app, which has allowed for easier student access this semester.
So far, the events promoted on the app have proven to be the most popular. According to Marketing and Memberships Graduate Assistant Lacey Hylen, cycling classes have been one of the most successful events so far.
“That’s been our most popular group [exercise] class,” said Hylen. “They’ve been waitlisted every single time, which has been awesome.”
She added that the wellness classes have also gained a lot of interest, as many students are looking for something to help balance the stress of college life, especially during the pandemic.
“It’s been a really great way for students to relax and relieve stress, especially with staying inside a lot and not being able to be as active sometimes,” Hylen said.
This fall, the cycling classes have been held at the botanical gardens on campus. On top of the great view, it allows for a greater flexibility to social distance because of the extra space. Many other classes have done the same, including meditation and yoga classes. All of these classes have been utilizing the quadrangle to better space everyone out while taking advantage of the warmer weather.
“Most of our indoor classes are very limited,” said Hylen. “When you’re outside, you can have up to fifty people on the quad, so it’s an awesome way to get way more people into those classes.”
Another major change some activities face is the requirement of reservations. Students are no longer able to work out at any of the fitness centers on campus without making an appointment online beforehand, but Luther said there are a lot of reservations open at both facilities.
Students are able to make an appointment to work out at both the Fascitelli Fitness Center and the Mackal Fieldhouse, as well as the pools at the Tootell Aquatic Center. Luther notes that Fascitelli has been the busiest facility so far this semester, as it is the gym “that students originally think of” when they want to work out. However, she says that both Mackal and the aquatic center have great resources and typically have a lot of open reservations.
“Mackal has an indoor track, Mackal has a cardio center and Tootell Aquatics has the pool,” Luther says. “So we’re finding that more reservations are open there.”
Campus Recreation’s motto, “Be active. Be Involved. Belong,” has been the main focus of all their programs this year. With the virus limiting the opportunity for students to join different activities around campus, giving them every chance they can to be a part of the community at large has been their top priority, especially for first-year students.
“I can’t imagine being a freshman and not getting the experiences I had as a freshman in my undergraduate,” Hylen states. “Having us open, we’re still doing the best we can to give the freshmen class, and sophomores and anyone else on campus that same experience.”