The focus of the Center for Sports and Recreation is the development of students through intercollegiate and recreational sports and fitness promotion for all students. Recreational programs such as intramurals are also under the supervision of the center.
Intercollegiate Athletics
Intercollegiate athletic competition plays an important role in the lives of Clarion students. Clarion University is affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Division II), Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and the Eastern Wrestling League. The present athletics program includes six men's and 10 women's varsity programs. The men's programs are baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving and Division I wrestling. The women's programs are basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball.
Facilities for intercollegiate athletics include Memorial Stadium and the Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium-Natatorium. The stadium seats approximately 6,500 spectators. The football field is surrounded by an all-weather track. The facility also includes a baseball field, softball field, soccer field, practice football fields and parking areas. The gymnasium-natatorium, seating approximately 4,000 spectators, is used for both physical education and athletic activities. A weight room, located in the gym, is used for intercollegiate athletics and physical education classes.
Intramurals, Recreation, Fitness and Club Sports Program
Club sports are administered by the Office of Intramurals, Recreation, Fitness and Club Sports located in the Student Recreation Center. The designation of club sport is given to recognized student organizations (RSOs) choosing to participate in athletic competition with outside organizations in a non-varsity status. To obtain club-sport status, an organization must meet stipulations set forth by the Intramural, Recreation, and Club Sport (IRCS) Committee. Club sports operate on a year-to-year basis contingent upon student interest. Examples of club-sport programs at Clarion are men's and women's rugby, equestrian, ultimate Frisbee, roller hockey, men's volleyball and soccer.
Intramural and recreational programs are provided for students through student activity fees allocated by Student Senate. Programs are planned and supervised by the Office of Intramurals, Recreation, Fitness and Club Sports. Intramural competition is available for more than 50 activities, including flag football, soccer, volleyball, chess, bowling, table tennis, basketball, wrestling, badminton, billiards, swimming, softball, in-line hockey, water basketball, golf and racquetball. The program is housed in the Student Recreation Center and many of the intramural events are held in the facility. Ongoing fitness counseling is available, as well as instruction on the use of the strength and cardio equipment. The program also offers a fitness component intended to help students develop and maintain a healthy and physically fit body through strength-training programs, aerobics and body fat percentage screening tests.
Student Recreation Center
The $6.1 million state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center opened in October 1999. The student fee-funded facility houses three multi-purpose courts that may be used for basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, floor hockey or badminton. It also contains a four-lane running/walking track, a 32-foot-by-25-foot climbing wall with seven belay stations, a stretching area, cardiovascular area and a 4,700- square-foot weight room. Equipment includes elliptical cross trainers with personal viewing screens, steppers, treadmills, Expresso fitness bikes with personal viewing screens, stationary bicycles and a rowing machine. A variety of daily group fitness and aerobic classes are offered free to students. A small fee is charged to the campus community for these activities.
The weight room combines free weights, plate-loaded stations and variable-resistance, weight-training machines. Outdoor recreation equipment, such as camping gear, bicycles, cross-country skis and roller blades may be checked out for a minimal fee. In order to accommodate student needs, the SRC has indoor equipment such as basketballs, volleyballs, footballs, dodge balls, soccer balls, playground balls, tennis racquets and balls, badminton equipment, ping pong equipment, Frisbees, hockey equipment, boxing gloves, jump ropes and weight belts.
The center also contains men's and women's locker/shower rooms, a multi-use room, a meeting room and office space for the recreation center director and the intramural, recreation and fitness director. A majority of the programs sponsored by the Office of Intramurals, Recreation, Fitness and Club Sports are held in the Student Recreation Center. All students enrolled at the Clarion Campus that have paid a recreation center fee are admitted free to the facility and have use of all equipment by simply presenting a valid Clarion University ID card. This facility is student run and operated. Students do not need to pay an extra fee to use the climbing wall. Membership is available to non-students.
During the academic semester, the hours are: Monday-Thursday, 5 a.m. - 11 p.m., Friday, 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Other times are available for rentals.
