On Wednesday, February 22 the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) will be hosting its annual Recreational Sports and Fitness Day on campuses throughout the country, as well as right here at Gannon University in the Recreation and Wellness Center! Good for U encourages the campus community to take advantage of this exciting event, and to embrace their physical well-being by experiencing the many benefits associated with participating in the various intramural activities and exercise programs which NIRSA provides.
At Gannon, physical wellness is defined as the health of our body systems. By adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors like being physically active every day and making healthier food choices, we can optimize health, decrease risk of disease, and improve our quality of life. NIRSA is dedicated to giving every student, as well as faculty and staff member, an opportunity to become the best version of themselves through the benefits of physical activity and exercise; and offers initiatives including intramural sports, group fitness classes, sports clubs, and wellness programs to ensure this goal. On Recreational Sports and Fitness Day, the Recreation and Wellness Center will be highlighting the benefits of participating in these programs through a series of interactive stations offered throughout the day. These stations include a three-point shootout, hot shot competition, a social media station, open swim times, a wellness table, as well as group fitness classes taught by one of the certified personal trainers at the RWC.
Those attending this exciting event will have the opportunity to win a free t-shirt for completing three of the six stations, just have the representative or trainer at each station sign off that you participated! Chad Indorf, Assistant Director of Intramural Sports Clubs, states that the Recreational Sports and Fitness Day is a great way for people to come to the Recreation and Wellness Center to experience all the opportunities available for them to better embrace their physical well-being.
“I think this day is a great way to get more people to come to the Recreation and Wellness Center and experience all the intramural sport and exercise programs that we have to offer,” Indorf said. “Working out and staying active has many obvious health benefits, but NIRSA has done studies which show that students who participate in campus recreation programs tend to have higher GPA’s, increased retention, and graduate on time more often.”
The Recreational Sports and Fitness Day is also a celebration of the history of NIRSA, as they commemorate the founding of the National Intramural Association (NIA) – which would later become NIRSA – on February 22, 1950 by Dr. William Wasson of Dillard University along with eleven of his colleagues. Get to the Recreation and Wellness Center for this historic event, and to experience new ways that you can embrace your physical well-being during this year of wellness! For more information, contact Chad Indorf at indorf001@gannon.edu or visit NIRSA online at www.nirsa.org.
-contributed by David Russo