With everyone leaving their summer routines and activities, many new and returning students are looking for ways to stay active and make new friends now that they are back on campus.
The school’s recreation department has everything that one could be interested in. Conner Kilpatrick, the recreation manager, has a fun and action-packed year planned whether it be intramural sports or paddle boarding at the lakefront. Kilpatrick is in charge of all the recreation areas including the Fitness Center, intramural sports, open rec, the pool and the Lakefront.
The Fitness Center, open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and 12 p.m.to 5 p.m. on the weekends, is a great place for past and present athletes to get a workout or for a student to start a new trend in fitness in his/her life. With a wide variety of free weights, machines and cardio equipment, there are many options to get fit.
“The Fitness Center is very convenient and well equipped,” David Craig, a junior management major quipped. “I was never really into fitness until I came to college and with a little motivation I was able to start a new lifestyle.”
Intramural sports offers an entertaining but competitive area of the recreation department. Students form teams for whatever the current sport is at the time and compete against other students. The sports played normally line up with the school sports season, but do not last as long.
“I’ve loved being able to participate in intramurals the last few years and get to know people from all types of groups.” Sarah Bermudez, a junior, elementary education major, said.
Indoor co-rec volleyball and slow-pitch softball are the current seasons, and registration is open. The winning teams of each sport also get Saint Leo Intramural Champion t-shirts. The winners are determined by an end-of-season tournament for all teams to participate in.
At night during the week, when the teams are not in season, the lacrosse field, soccer field and basketball gym are also open for non-athlete students to take advantage of. The lacrosse field and the basketball gym are currently open for all students to use because the sports are not in season. Whether you want to get a squad together to hoop it up or throw a frisbeearound on the field, they have you covered.
The pool will be opening up as soon as lifeguards are hired. The pool is open for several hours midday for those who want to get some laps in and get a nice tan. The Lakefront is open on the weekends and offers students the option to sign out canoes, kayaks and paddleboards to take out on Lake Jovita. This area is located at the dock behind apartments 1-4.
This isn’t the end of recreation though. Many days in the green, grassy space between the Student Activities Building and Kirk Hall are filled with games set up to play to promote the next season. Jake Garro, a senior, sports business major said,
“Its nice to get a break in between classes and play cornhole or KanJam in the yard. It really helps me de-stress from class.”
There is no shortage of variety either as recreation’s one-day events include ping pong and billiards on campus. Also, recreation offers students the opportunity to go to Tampa for ice skating and curling. New this year, recreation plans on hosting an E-sportstournament.
Kilpatrick is very excited for this year’s events and hopes to get a lot of participation from the student body.
“My goal is to see kidsactive and healthy in mind, body and spirit and staying out of trouble,” he said. He really puts effort into supplying the students with activities they will enjoy all throughout the year.
