University of Colorado, Boulder Recreation Services

Mission

University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder) Recreation Services is a welcoming, valued campus resource dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible recreation and wellness experiences that promote and support healthy lifestyles.

Vision

To inspire and support the CU Boulder community in the pursuit of lifelong wellbeing.

Description of Facility(s)

The Rec

The Rec at CU Boulder is a LEED Platinum facility with over 300,000 square feet of recreation and fitness activity space. The expansive facility includes an indoor climbing gym, turf gym, ice rink, rooftop tennis courts with amazing views, an outdoor fitness court, four lighted outdoor basketball courts, an eight-lane competition pool, a dive well and an outdoor heated pool in the shape of Ralphie, the beloved buffalo school mascot. The Rec also features a state-of-the-art outdoor challenge course that serves as a hub for teambuilding and leadership workshops for CU Boulder and the greater community.

Outdoor Fields

Recreation Services offers four artificial and five grass fields that are home to intramural sports, sport clubs and open recreation.

Williams Village Recreation Center

A satellite facility on campus offers convenient fitness services for students living in on-campus apartments. The facility includes a 3,300-square-foot weight room and a multipurpose studio for group fitness classes.

Programming

The Rec is a student fee-funded service led by the CU Boulder Student Government Recreation Board and a team of experts to ensure the facility and programs meet the evolving needs of a dynamic and active student, faculty and staff population.

Aquatics

Home of the swim and dive, men’s and women’s water polo and triathlon clubs that train in the 25-yard, eight lane pool with a diving well.
The Rec offers Learn to Swim lessons, scuba classes, beginning kayaking and American Red Cross lifeguard training certification courses.
The pools also serve as spaces for special events, swim practices and competitions for local community schools and clubs.

Inclusive Rec

Inclusive Rec launched in spring 2016 with the goal of creating a safe, accommodating, welcoming and open environment while providing accessible and respectful opportunities for all.
It hosts events like Pride Skate, BIPOC Pool Party Bash, Women Rock, Veterans Appreciation Week, International Students Bubble Soccer, Cultural Expressions Zumba, Sled Hockey and more.
Over 500 participants visit annually and help provide inclusive features and equipment throughout Recreational Services facilities.

Fitness and Wellness

Fitness and Wellness offers over 65 group fitness classes per week, including F45 and CrossFit which launched in the fall of 2023.
The personal training program includes customized, one-on-one sessions with nationally certified personal trainers and small group training programs in four-to-six-week sessions.
Instructional classes provide training in specific skills or techniques for all experience levels. Programs include martial arts, tennis, dance, aquatics, ice skating, American Red Cross certifications and more.
Partners with Health and Wellness Services to offer flu shots, physical therapy and drop-in counseling in the rec center.
Students also enjoy the annual goat yoga class in the spring and yoga plus sound bath meditation in the fall.

Sport Clubs

CU Boulder has 30 sport clubs and 45 club teams supporting over 2,000 student-athletes.
Sports clubs have claimed over 70 national championships.
Student athletes participating in sport clubs receive support from the Recreation Injury Care Center’s athletic trainers.

Intramural Sports

Intramural sports offers the opportunity for all interested students to have fun and stay active in a semi-competitive environment.
Participants choose from 15-plus leagues each semester, including dodgeball, indoor and outdoor soccer, sand volleyball, wallyball, badminton, and more.

Outdoor Pursuits

The over 7,000-square-foot climbing gym includes bouldering and route climbing terrain and offers climbing courses and climbing gym passes.
Outdoor Pursuits offers equipment rentals, including gear for camping, climbing, outdoor water recreation and winter recreation, with over 3,000 annual rentals.
The challenge course serves around 3,000 participants annually. The challenge course experience provides a fun and safe environment for groups to work together, learn about one another and reach group and individual goals.
Outdoor Pursuits offers over 200 trips and courses annually in Boulder and throughout Colorado, including trips for incoming students each summer.

Fun Facts

The Rec is home to the only indoor ice rink in Boulder.
The main rec center is one of the most sustainable buildings on campus and is LEED Platinum certified. Some sustainable features include solar panels, evaporative cooling, LED lights and skylights for natural lighting, and more.
Waste heat from the ice rink chiller serves several uses around the building, including heating all three pools.
This year, the Rec’s fields hosted the Fox Sports Big Noon show twice and the ESPN Game Day show once. Lil’ Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rob Gronkowski and many more celebrities joined Coach Prime and made appearances on the fields and across campus.
The Rec opened in 1973 with 175,000 gross square feet, grew to 235,000 square feet in 1990 and grew again to 310,000 square feet in 2014.
In August 2023, the Rec repurposed two racquetball courts and one squash court. They transformed into an F45 studio and a CrossFit studio, and it added a second-floor mat room above one of the courts. Two movable walls were added to the existing two racquetball courts to allow for racquetball and squash.