The Recreational Eagle Center is known for two things: the track and the weight room. When everything looks full, students usually don’t know what to do as alternatives
However, there are many other activities that are offered at the REC. Activities range from intramural sports to the rock climbing wall. So here is the inside look of everything the REC has to offer.
Coming up next week is a free Sports Trivia night, where students can make teams of four and test their sports knowledge. This is the first of 18 events for students that take place during the semester. These events include everything, from a triathlon to battleship in the pool in Mitchell Hall. Like Sports Trivia, some are free, while others include a small fee.
The Sports Club and Events Coordinator Jenny Larson said, “We are trying many avenues to advertise. We use posters, Pepsi banners and messages through IM Leagues.” The REC advertises opportunities as well.
The REC also offers intramural sports. There are a variety of different sports that are presented to catch the interest of all students. The sports range from basketball to bag toss.
Last semester, there were a total of 16 different intramural sports, while this spring there are 19 intramurals being offered. For the first time, they are also doing a one day, pre-season basketball tournament. Otherwise, most of them range from $5 a person to a set price for an entire team, depending on the sport. The variety of these intramurals offered gives each student an opportunity to have fun and play a sport that they like.
The next up is the rock climbing wall. Many students do not even know there is one in the REC because the wall is towards the back of the basketball courts. This was not on purpose. According to Recreational Sports and Assistant Director Nathan Barnhart, “The REC was not designed for a rock climbing wall, it was designed for courts.”
The opportunity arose to put a climbing wall in, and so far it has gotten positive feedback from students. The rock climbing wall is open to any student. Go online to the REC’s page to see their hours, and stop on in and take a climb.
Other availabilities at the REC are the empty rooms located on the sides of the basketball court. Any student can rent these rooms; all they have to do is go online to the REC’s page and fill out an application. These rooms are used for students who want to do workouts in private, to play tennis or play a friendly game of dodgeball.
Also, during the school year, the REC does rentals to students. In the spring and fall months, they rent out kayaks, paddleboards and bikes. In the winter, they rent out skis and snowboards.
So whether it’s running or skiing in the slopes of La Crosse, the REC has more to offer than the track and the weight room. Exercising can be boring sometimes, but the REC gives students many opportunities to make working out fun with all the variety that is available.