Meet Vincent Guarnere! Vincent is a Sophomore Biology Pre-med major, minoring in Chemistry from Nacogdoches, Texas. Vincent is involved with the Taekwondo Club, National Society of Leadership and Success, and intramural sports with his friends.
The University’s campus recreation facilities or better known as UREC can help your student become involved and meet new people or help prevent the infamous freshman fifteen. The UREC consist of two main facilities, one is the UREC Fitness Center which is located in the Arkansas Union; here, there is a fitness studio which consist of treadmills, lifting weights, locker rooms and showers so your student can cool off after a great workout. The HPER building is located off Stadium Drive; it is the larger of the two facilities that the university has to offer. This facility has an indoor track, an Olympic sized swimming pool, racquet ball courts, the Donna Axum Fitness Center, and a rock-climbing wall. Choosing between which of the two facilities to use depends solely on your student and their convenience. For me, I lived in the Yocum residential hall, so walking down the hill to the HPER was the easiest for me.
The UREC does not only offer two fitness buildings with a plethora of workout opportunities, it also is the center of many campus programs such as aquatics, club sports, intramural sports, outdoors, fitness/wellness, informal recreation, inclusive recreation and group exercises that range from yoga to P90x along with other various strength and cardio classes. The aquatic programs include lap swim, swim lessons, and aquatic fitness classes. I was a former swimmer in high school, so I really enjoyed getting to swim again, even if it was on my own. There are a wide range of club sports that the university has to offer. Club sports are a place where you can join a sport where you have a tremendous amount of experience or none whatsoever. I joined the Taekwondo club, and they welcomed me in with open arms. I was able to meet new people who became good friends while practicing a sport I loved. Intramural Sports are another way to play a sport you love with friends or meet new people. I created a team with my friends for flag football and softball, and we had a blast. The UREC Outdoors offers many diverse adventure opportunities that your student and their friends are bound to love. For example, my friends and I were wanting to go on a float trip, UREC Outdoors had a trip planned that only cost $20 which included the equipment and transportation there and back. UREC Outdoors makes it easy and cheap for students who want to go on different adventures or rent equipment from the facility.
UREC has a plethora of opportunities for students. There are even employment opportunities which are flexible with students’ schedules. I have a lot to thank the UREC for; it provided me opportunities to meet new friends and play sports that I thought would be over after high school. It was an outlet that allowed me to be active and take a break away from studies. UREC has an open house event for students which allows students to interact and get to know in great detail what the UREC has to offer. Extended information and research about the university’s recreation facilities can be found at https://urec.uark.edu/.