Campus Recreation

By Matthew Goins & Parker Blackburn

As students return to campus this fall, Campus Recreation — “one of the biggest entities on campus,” according to coordinator of tness Jonathan Almond — will be in normal operations with all tness and sports programs returning. Additionally, the o ce is ready to premiere some new activities along with facility expansions and upgrades.

Almond said he believes that being active and staying t is a key to student success.

“We know that if we can get students to interact with us, they’re more likely to succeed, more likely to stay at the university and more likely to be healthier both mentally and physically,” Almond said.

The headquarters for campus tness is the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, located beside the Greek Village. Inside, Strom is home to three oors of activities including multiple weight rooms, racquetball and basketball courts, a swimming pool, a 52-foot climbing wall (the second largest in the SEC) and an indoor track that measures one-seventh of a mile. Outside, the complex includes another swimming pool, a large deck with lounge chairs, sand volleyball courts and multiple elds for outdoor intramural and sport clubs.

The Blatt Physical Education Center, located on Wheat Street south of the South and East Quad residence halls, provides more weight and cardio equipment, rooms for group exercise classes and squash and racquetball courts. It also houses the Outdoor Recreation (ORec) Hub where students, faculty and sta can rent equipment for outdoor recreational activities such as kayaking and visit the Bike Shop for basic repairs and assistance with bicycles. During the abnormal 2020-2021 academic year Campus Recreation made some long-awaited updates to the facilities due to COVID-19. New equipment was installed in Strom with the refurbished equipment moved to Blatt.

Campus Recreation is working on a project to make outdoor tness an option at Strom. This project, expected to be nished midway through the fall semester, will transform the facility’s balcony into an outdoor tness area with cardio equipment, dumbbells and other functional tness on the re nished turf balcony overseeing the pool and Columbia skyline.

In addition to tness rooms and equipment, the recreation facilities are home to several group exercise programs with various formats, such as cardio, strength, mind-body and indoor cycling. A new BODYFLOW class (a yoga/ Pilates-style workout created by Les Mills) will debut this fall along with new indoor cycling variations. Students can buy an all-access pass for group tness classes and reserve their spots through the IMLeagues online system.

For students looking for personalized help with their tness, campus recreation has nationally certi ed personal trainers with lower-than-average prices ranging from $25 to $30 per hour.

Alongside the advanced gym facilities, Campus Recreation o ers an array of options to participate in team sports or take advantage of the extensive outdoor recreation opportunities in Columbia and the surrounding areas.

Club and intramural sports “show you the kind of community that Carolina is,” sports programs coordinator Justin Furlough said.

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY RACHEL MELTON/ CAMPUS RECREATION

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MATTHEW TAYLOR / CAMPUS RECREATION

@UofSCCampusRec @uofsc_campusrec @UofSC_CampusRec

Intramural sports give students the opportunity to tap into their competitive side through athletics, even if they’ve never played the sport before. Intramurals are open to everyone with a CarolinaCard, with over 20 sports o ered each semester, including soccer, ag football, pickleball and more.

Chase Mullets, third-year sport and entertainment management student, said he enjoyed the “no-pressure environment” that intramural sports provide.

This year, students can purchase an individual pass for $15, which permits them to participate in an unlimited number of sports for the semester. There will also be oneday tournaments for various sports including non-traditional sports such as spike ball and foursquare.

Tryouts are not required for intramural sports, and intramural leagues o er a free-agency system where individual players are matched with teams that have open spots on their rosters.

To participate, students must sign up through IMLeagues by visiting IMLeagues.com/ uofsc. Fall sports signups begin on Aug. 1, and competition starts in early September.

Campus Recreation also o ers intramurals such as goalball and

seated volleyball for students with visual and mobility impairments and physical disabilities.

“This is a great way to try and take this great uni er, which is sports and make it true for everyone who is here,” Furlough said.

Campus Recreation also has about 50 to 65 active sport clubs, which are student-run organizations that sometimes compete against club teams at other schools. Sport clubs are usually more competitive and “tend to be more of a time commitment” than intramural sports, according to Lauren Martini Olsen, associate director for Campus Recreation, though some o er opportunities for players of all levels. South Carolina Club Gymnastics, for example, has two teams depending on experience and skill level.

“I think our club is extremely special in that we welcome everyone,” gymnastics club member and senior Ryan Booth said. “Whether you’ve been doing gymnastics all your life and want to compete against other schools with our competitive team or you’ve never touched a piece gymnastics equipment and want to join our recreational team, we have a home for you here.”

Students can nd a full list of sport clubs and information on tryouts on GarnetGate.

For those who’d like to take the adventure outside of the facilities or teams that Campus Rec provides, Outdoor Recreation o ers a plethora of opportunities to explore the surrounding landscape through adventure trips. Adventure trips are facilitated by student leaders on most weekends of the semester and include activities such as kayaking, paddle boarding, backpacking, rock climbing and biking in locations around Columbia and the Southeast. Travel and equipment are included for a small registration fee, and online registration is available through the Campus Recreation website or GarnetGate. In addition to participating in the trips, serving as a trip leader is another way to get involved with Campus Recreation and even get paid to have fun.

“In my opinion, being a trip leader is one of the best jobs on campus,” said Grable Walls, assistant director of Outdoor Recreation. “You’re getting paid to be outside and lead other fellow students in outdoor sport activities.”

Students can apply for employment with Campus Recreation through Handshake. Other opportunities include facilities management and group tness instruction.

Whether you’re interested in scaling a mountain, swimming a few laps or playing in a table tennis tournament, Campus Recreation has something to o er.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MATTHEW TAYLOR / CAMPUS RECREATION

CHLOE CAUDILL/GARNET MEDIA GROUP

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