Graphic by Dani Ramirez and Dennise Arriaza
Written by Dennise Arriaza
The Recreation Center is now open and welcomes new and returning students! It is more than just an open gym area. The Rec Center offers tons of sports and other physical activities on campus for students to participate in. It is a great place to visit when looking to fill in extra time in an engaging way. Whether you are looking to play basketball with friends or do some weightlifting, there is guaranteed to be something for everyone. Students are eager to participate in this year’s many activities that the Rec Center offers. Some students, like Brandon Rodriguez, a sophomore English major, claimed, “I enjoy coming to work out and volleyball for sure when it’s the season, just like right now you guys are all welcome to come to open gyms every Tuesday and Thursday from six to nine.” While the Rec Center offers open volleyball for all students, it also has tryouts for the volleyball team, which many students are awaiting. When Hunter Cologna, a sophomore psychology major, was asked what his favorite activity to participate in was, his response was, “I would say club volleyball. I joined the team last year, and I had a blast. I’d recommend even if you’ve never played volleyball before, you should come out and play.” Rodriguez also said, “For sure, volleyball, it’s 100% sure going to be volleyball, there’s always good energy in here, and it’s always a full house.”
Among other activities like volleyball, soccer is a big one that many students have been talking about a lot recently. Anticipation is high for the tryout results that took place on Sept. 9 and Sept. 11. The soccer club has a travel team and a practice team. Anyone can participate on the practice team, but students must try out for the competitive team that plays against other colleges. There has been a high turnout for people interested in trying out. For those not interested in joining the soccer team, there is also indoor soccer that anyone can join in on. Besides soccer, CI has its very own cheer team, which practices in the Rec Center on Monday and Wednesday nights from 8-10 p.m. They practice different stunts and dances for performances. The cheer team also represents us at the YAC showcase, in which they perform a routine in front of other local cheer teams. The cheer team will be performing during homecoming week to kick off the celebration! In addition, there is also the opportunity to participate in intramural sports, which are recreational sport competitions among other student-made teams. Intramural sports are a great way to get students involved without requiring much commitment from them. The Rec Center also has yoga, which is a nice, relaxing alternative activity. It is a good spot to get a quick workout in without having to drive to another gym and take more time out of the day. The Rec Center offers job opportunities for the front desk and helping check in other students. It is a good job for those who enjoy making others feel welcome on campus.
It is guaranteed that throughout this semester, the Rec Center will provide various activities for students to engage in. It is up to you to decide what you are most interested in and what new activities you are willing to try out for the first time.
