CaMpuS ReCReAtIOn CaMpuS ReCReAtIOn

By Alicia Caracciolo

CAMPUS RECREATION COVERS a lot more than just the campus gym. Free access to the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center and the Solomon Blatt Physical Education Center are part of what Campus Recreation provides students, but it encompasses much more as well.

The Wellness and Fitness Center houses three floors of activities, including free weights, dance studios, basketball courts and a 52foot climbing wall. The facility houses two pools, one indoor and one outdoor. When the weather is warm, beach volleyball courts are open for students to play outside.

The Physical Education Center has additional workout equipment, group exercise rooms and squash courts. The Outdoor Recreation Hub can be found here, where students, faculty and staff can rent discounted equipment for outdoor activities. Hiking, kayaking and rafting supplies are available for rental.

In addition to the offerings at the fitness facilities, Campus Recreation provides students with several ways to get involved in fitness. Programs include group exercise classes, intramural sports, club sports and personal training.

Group exercise classes range from cycle and dance to pure cardio and total strength. Students can try these classes for free during the first two weeks of the semester and then can purchase an all-access pass to classes for the remainder of the semester. Students can use the online system IMLeagues to reserve spots in classes.

Intramural sports provide all students, regardless of skill, a place to play at a friendly level. There are no tryouts for intramural sports, and students can create or join a team through

IMLeagues to participate in once-weekly games throughout the semester. More than 10 sports are offered per semester that range from flag football to table tennis.

Sport clubs also fall under the umbrella of Campus Recreation. These organizations are created and led by students. There are currently over 55 sport clubs offered on campus ranging from traditional team sport clubs, dance sport clubs, martial arts sport clubs, water sport clubs and more. These organizations range from instructional to competitive and generally require a higher time commitment than intramural sports. Many sports clubs compete against different universities and travel for competitions. In 2022, the Gamecock Men’s Lacrosse Club won the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championship.

Between intramural sports and sport clubs, campus recreation provides students with many opportunities to try out new sports or hone their existing skills.

For students looking to explore outside of campus, adventure trips, such as hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and more, are available most weekends both in and outside of Columbia. These trips require a small registration fee to cover the cost of equipment and transportation.

In addition to encouraging fitness, Campus Recreation has services to help students stay healthy while on campus. Athletic training services are free for all students, as well as faculty and staff with memberships to the Wellness and Fitness Center. Trainers are healthcare professionals sponsored by Prisma Health Orthopedics. Through IMLeagues, students can schedule an appointment for professional treatment administered at the

Wellness and Fitness Center.

To employees of Campus Recreation, the job is about much more than physical fitness opportunities. Assistant Director of Operations

Justin Furlough notes that the gyms see almost 17,000 people go through the doors daily, and he wants to pay attention to all the faces he sees.

“We serve as a hub for almost half of the people on campus, and we’re also the eyes and ears for our partners in Student Health Services,” Furlough said. “We can literally hit every dimension of wellness on a surface level and then get them to someone that can help them further if what we give them doesn’t work.”