University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
MISSION STATEMENT
Intramural-Recreational Sports (IM-Rec Sports) at the University of Virginia serves the university community through first-class recreational engagement that fosters wellness, impacts lives, and generates life-long memories. We place a high priority on student development for both our student employees and the students who use our facilities and participate in our programs.
FACILITY AMENITIES
The university’s commitment to health and wellness is clearly seen in our four indoor recreation centers totaling over 300,000 square feet, the world-class McArthur Squash Center, and over 30 acres of outdoor sports fields and courts. An Olympic-size pool, 25-yard by 25-meter pool, warm water pool, saunas and hot tubs serve fitness swimming and program needs with the 50-meter pool, home to our varsity swim and dive teams.
Additional indoor spaces available to our students include:
- 11 basketball courts
- 11 fitness studios
- Two indoor tracks
- 31,500 square feet of drop-in workout space
- Racquetball and squash courts
- Combat room
Outdoor venues include:
- Two lighted synthetic turf fields
- Three lighted softball fields
- Several natural grass fields
- Two sand volleyball courts
- Four outdoor basketball courts
- 17 lighted tennis courts
- Challenge course
We are currently renovating our Slaughter Recreation Center to house a new 2,800-square-foot climbing center and state-of-the-art functional training space. The new climbing surface more than quadruples our bouldering surface area and adds an instructional wall with top rope, instructional lead climbing, a ledge, an anchor practice wall and demonstration crack. The new functional training space will allow our fitness team to meet an important programming need while also providing a new drop-in space to meet student interests.
PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS
This last year, we surpassed 60,000 participations with our recreational programs. Half of this participation was through intramural sports, with over 10,000 people participating about three times each. Other noteworthy programming highlights include our outdoor adventure program participation increasing 263 percent largely due to a new student orientation initiative. Our department also supported the university’s employee wellness program with participation increasing 100 percent this past year through expanded recreation program offerings.
Our department also leads the university’s new late night, alternative program initiative. Since the first year, our program staff managed to grow that program 250 percent, with over 5,000 participations this last year.
FUN FACTS
- On the June 10, 1940, in support of the University of Virginia, our department hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Memorial Gymnasium when he delivered the famous “Hand that Held the Dagger” speech, signaling an end to the United States’ foreign policy of neutrality.
- Memorial Gymnasium played host to a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1974, with tickets costing $3.50 each.
- We have over 900,000 facility participations each year.
- Over 83 percent of the student body interacts with us each year.
- We provide student/part-time employment to approximately 600 people annually.
- We have about 52,000,000 treadmill uses each year.
- Seven Virginia varsity athletic teams practice and compete in Intramural-Recreational Sports facilities.
- Intramural-Recreational Sports hosts diploma ceremonies, reunions events, and alumni functions annually.
- Carr’s Hill Field was the first FieldTurf Field installed in Albemarle County in 2005.
- The park hosts the annual Law School Softball Tournament with over 100 teams from across 10 states.
- Lambeth Field was originally used for varsity football, and track and field.
- Memorial Gymnasium was built in 1924 as a memorial for the alumni who lost their lives in World War I.
