How students can stay active and well at UNC through Campus Recreation

For Tar Heels wanting to stay active during their first year on campus, UNC Campus Recreation, usually referred to as Campus Rec, provides a variety of classes, activities and events focused on stimulating wellbeing, enjoyment and learning.

All full-time undergraduate students receive a membership to all Campus Rec facilities through student fees. The organization has two indoor recreation facilities, 11 indoor basketball courts, two aquatic facilities and outdoor tennis, volleyball and basketball courts on campus. 

The Student Recreation Center and Rams Head Recreation Center are the two recreational facilities on campus. They house cardio and weight-room equipment. 

Students can run on an indoor track and rock climb at Campus Rec facilities. They also maintain Hooker Fields, where many intramural and club sports teams practice and play. 

“Campus Rec at Carolina is really known for being the place where students stay active and get an opportunity to kind of build communities through exercise, fitness and movement," Josh Tucker, Senior Assistant Director of Communications and Development at Campus Recreation, said. 

Undergraduate students have access to all facilities, including the Outdoor Education Center located just off of Country Club Road. The OEC has a premier 18-hole disc golf course, sand volleyball courts, eight tennis courts, a complex high and low element challenges course and new multi-use nature trails.

Campus Rec also has an extensive list of programs and activities that students can participate in.

Programs such as intramural and club sports teams, group fitness classes and personal training are all offered for undergraduate students, with the goal of fostering healthy lifestyles and lifetime wellness for UNC students.

If students are interested in staying active with team sports, Campus Rec offers intramural sports teams that play against other students at facilities around campus. 

Over 20 different sports are offered during the school year and on average, two out of three undergraduate students participate in the Intramural Sports program.

“(Students) just want to keep playing their sport, or maybe a version less competitively, they still want to do basketball or tennis or whatever, so I feel like intramurals is a good segue for them," Victoria Bliss, Campus Recreation Marketing Coordinator, said. "They get to play with their friends, they can make a team or if they want, they can sign up as an individual and we'll put them on a team and that's a great way to make friends that way.”

Campus Rec offers fitness classes for students and faculty free of charge, including classes such as cycling, dance cardio and yoga. These classes are free and students don't need to sign up in advance.

Campus Rec also includes over 50 student-run sports clubs that compete against other schools. These club sports range from instructional to competitive and are similar to high school sports teams with regular practices and games. 

Tucker, who has worked at Campus Rec for nearly six years, added that Campus Rec offers employment opportunities for students.

“I would say we have a very knowledgeable staff," Tucker said. "We hire about 400 students on campus and they're all very knowledgeable, and we're always looking to hire new students.”

Operations Ambassador and Marketing Assistant Clayton Gates is a rising senior and has been working at Campus Rec for just over a year.

“College is a time for new experiences, like don’t ever write anything off," Gates said. "Don’t be scared to jump into something totally new or different to you, because that’s where you’ll make the most memories.”

For more information about Campus Rec and all of the programs and activities that the organization has to offer, visit its website.

Students can follow Campus Rec on all of its social media accounts @unccampusrec. 

Campus Rec also has the “UNC Rec” app for the most up-to-date information on events. It can be downloaded in both Apple and Google app stores. 

@collinatadlock

university@dailytarheel.com