It's a new year for many people it's a time for resolutions like getting in shape
we see a lot of students especially in January and February for two reasons
one a lot of them are doing a new year resolutions
and the second reason is they are in spring training for spring break
they want to make sure they buff up before
they hit the beaches in March
we have a lot of programs to help them our members and the students
we have a fitness assessment program that is free
they can come in and get blood pressure tested
body fat and several other indexes measured
we have personnel trainers that are available to them
we have a staff of six people Heather Arnett
our assistant director in charge of fitness and aquatics
is a certified personnel trainer and she has five other students
that she has trained and there trained also through Kathy McMillan's class
but they will take clients on and we have
just a variety of programs were we will
we have the Square One Program were students come
in they can sign up for this and we will take them around
on a one on one basis show them the equipment that is available
in the student recreational center
and also show them how to use it correctly
so we also have some incentive programs we have a rise and shine program
early in the morning from six to eight
and then we'll have another incentive program that if a student comes in
and works out three times a week for four weeks
that we will reward them for staying with it and improving their health
weight training, aerobics, swimming pool, jogging track, wellness profiles
all this and more is under one roof for
Western Illinois University students, faculty and staff
who wish to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle
any kind of a healthy lifestyle program will benefit a student
especially when it comes around mid terms and the end of the year
stress is a high, high factor we know in a college student's life
and we like to think that we are a stress reducer on this campus
students have an opportunity who may feel over weight
and there’s no secret of the obesity studies that are
now coming out of the detrimental effect for obesity
we feel that students can gain a healthy lifestyle
by just feeling comfortable in the center
we know that water aerobics and working out in the aquatic center
there is no better opportunity for a student than it is to be in the aquatics center
just swimming on their own at their own rate in the pool
we know that the long-term effects of weight training are very good
for someone who is, who may have a history of osteoporosis in their family
so there's lots of opportunities for them
seventy percent of the diseases that we have in America today
can be avoided through physical activity
so we feel like we are that foundation
for students as they enter the work force
Western’s Donald S. Spencer Student Recreation Center provides members of the university community
with a place to go outside of class and work
it's a place to meet friends, exercise, play racquetball
and participate in a variety of physical fitness opportunities
the seventy-eight thousand square foot student
recreation center houses a multipurpose gymnasium
with an elevated jogging, walking track
basketball, volleyball and badminton courts
state of the art fitness and weight equipment
a twenty-five yard six lane swimming pool and much more
wellness personnel are on hand to provide assessments
referrals, and assistance for improving fitness
we think it's very important to have these activities and our facilities available to students
because it helps them to lead a very balanced life
if there just going to class and spending time
in the library it may not be the healthiest thing for them
academically it certainly is - but once students come in to play intramurals
or just to work out they'll meet a lot of new people
if they're playing in intramurals they'll be on a team and they'll be having fun with their friends
they'll get to meet other people through the competition that we offer
we offer competitive things at the recreational level
and very competitive level so students can come in and play with their friends
and get to know other people and it's really the socialization
that takes place is really a cool thing
the center is open to all members of the WIU community
and is accessible to persons with disabilities
the center has had close to two million visits since its opening in October 1997
In addition to running the Spencer Student Recreation Center
campus recreation hosts numerous leisure, sport and
outreach activities and events throughout the year
we have a lot of activities for the WIU campus community
Judy Yeast our Associate Director for Campus Recreation
is in charge of our special event programming
we have kayaking seminars, this spring we’re going to have a belly dancing workshop
and seminar and program will do a Dodge Ball for Diabetes event
we have the spring Relay for Life that is for the American Cancer Society
and we try and program about seven to nine events each semester for a special event of that nature
for the students in February we have a midnight Marti Gras that the students will attend
they'll come over here at nine o'clock and stay until midnight
and they'll have a three on three basketball tournament and do quite a bit of other activities that night
we got the aquatics center open and decorated in a lagoon setting
it's really a nice event and a nice way for students to get out and do something on a Friday night
campus recreation also oversees such operations on campus as
the Harry Massato eighteen-hole golf course
Intramural Sports Clubs and the Sipolt Memorial Disc Golf Course
campus recreation is really fortunate to have a lot
of different avenues for our students to pursue
for example if someone doesn't like doing step aerobics in our group fitness program
they are more than welcome to go upstairs and try water aerobics
they can do aquatic swimming if they like
the aquatics portion of our program
they also have the opportunity to do their workout in racquetball
and through our educationals that we offer here at campus recreation
we will teach them how to play racquetball
through some of our educationals if someone’s interested in kayaking that’s an opportunity
were once a semester they can pay the department
campus recreation and we offer a kayaking seminar
and Dr. Mike McGowan from Recreation Park and Tourism Administration Department
comes over and teaches that for them
so there's lots of opportunities were students can simply see
that their physical fitness activities can come very easy to them
we encourage students who are intimidated by what they see
here in the center to just to start a walking program
and we know that walking is one of the best physical activities
that they can use for a person who is overweight or out of shape
so I think that from the wellness concept there are lots of different avenues
whether it be in the weight room, or racquetball area
in the aquatics center, or down stairs with our group fitness program
there are a lot of opportunities for them to be engaged in physical activity
personal growth and wellness our part of the university’s core values
Western’s Student Recreation Center and Campus Recreation
play a vital role in promoting
a healthy lifestyle for the Western community
Joining me in the studio today is Scott Fransk
Assistant Director of Campus Recreation
Scott coordinates sports clubs and intramurals for Western students
Thank you for being here today Scott, I appreciate it -Thanks Darcie-
we just heard a little bit from Jim and Judy and all the activities and programming
available through campus recreation and at the student recreation center
and I’d like to learn a little more about intramurals
and what we offer for students -sure-
Intramurals we have a series of competitive and sometimes non-competitive events for the students
we have different levels of competition
we can play all male team, all female team and co-rec
we have traditional events such as flag football
basketball, softball, volleyball
and some non-traditional events such as this semester would be
paper rock scissors tournament, play station 2 tournament
just some other fun types of events
now you just mentioned a paper rocks scissors tournament
how do you come up with these ideas because that's pretty non-traditional
well when I was when I first got into my profession
I looked around to other programs around the nation
and I saw that they were very static
so I really wanted to be on the cutting edge of intramural programming
so were always looking for the new event
we had dodge ball last year and that's gone over really well
we've had kickball and were going to do this
paper rock scissors tournament and see how it goes over
how's it set up I want to know more about paper rock scissors
how's it set up well I got the idea from watching late night Conan O'Brien
he had the National Rock Paper Scissors Tournament Champion on there
and I thought that would be a pretty neat event and I see kids doing that a lot
and I remember doing that when I was in middle school and high school
were just going to pit two people against each other
and who ever win the best two out of three will go on to the next round
it's a single elimination tournament
that sounds great now why are intramurals and sports clubs
and these extra curricular activities so important for our students
there important because they round out the college experience
I definitely realize the educational component of the university is most important part
but coming to a university you need
to be able to round out your being
and that includes your health and that's why it's so important
to apart in these physical healthy type activities
now about how many Western students participate in the intramural clubs
and the extra curricular sports activities that you offer
well during the course of a school year we have about eight thousand participations
now we count if a student plays basketball, and flag football
those are two participations if it's the same student
I'd say we have probably about three to four thousand students overall playing intramurals
and in our sports club program we have about three hundred students
now how does one get involved do they just come up and sign up
If they have an idea for a program tell me a little bit more
If I was a student and I just was kind of looking for something extra to do
what can you tell me
well if you saw an event you wanted to participate in
there's an entry deadline and you just need to come and sign up by the entry deadline
now if you have an idea for an event that you may want to try
just come in and talk to me and we'll see if we can
get it on the schedule for the following semester
now do you know the history of intramurals at Western
how long have these kind of programs been going on
I know the program started really got into gear
with Doc Collegiate the former director
to be honest that's pretty much all I know about it
okay and you've been here how long
this will be my fourth year as a professional
what's your proudest accomplishment since you've been here
at Western with intramurals and sports clubs
what's some of your most favorite events that you can tell us about
favorite events are definitely the bigger type of events
we have flag football program that is second to none in the state of Illinois
we have about a hundred teams each year it's a task but it's a great task
I love our basketball program and I really like our volleyball program
I didn't realize volleyball when I came to Western was so popular
and we have about a hundred teams of volleyball too
Now I know we've heard from Jim and Judy and Judy mentioned the Big Pink Volleyball Tournament
does that fit into the intramural program
our do you have special fund raising events like that fit into intramurals
actually intramurals are a little bit separate than the special events
and the Big Pink Volleyball Tournament would be a special event
intramurals are not a special event
Okay how can students sign up for programs
do they come into the recreation center like the paper rock scissors tournament
I keep going back to that because it sounds like a lot of fun
how can they sign up for this
well we have two types if it’s sign up on the day of the event
you just have to show up at the event site you can sign up and play
if there's a entry deadline you just need to come in by
two o'clock I'm sorry by six o'clock of the entry deadline
and sign up on a paper form and turn it into our offices
you can get that form there or forms in the Student Recreational Center
and you can print it off our campus recreation website
great thanks so much for coming in today I really appreciate it -I'm just glad to be here-
To learn more about Western’s Campus Recreation and Student Recreation Programs
visit wiu.edu or contact campus recreation at 309-298-1228