“What other campus besides JMU would have this?”
Welcome to UREC! This is the University Recreation Center (UREC), home of intramurals, fitness facilities, and much, much, more. It was built in 1996 or 1997, and what a facility it is, and it’s on MY side of campus! UREC is a unique facility as college workout facilities go. This is a full-service fitness center. There’s a pool, sauna and hot tub, free weights, “Nautilus” machines, aerobics studios, a huge gym, glass racquetball courts, the rock-climbing wall, tennis courts (outside), an indoor track, and the famous rock-climbing wall. Plus UREC also offers classes, they supply materials for check-out for outings like camping and such, they have a Freshens smoothie bar, as well as intramurals, which brought you the Ball Wackers, in College Life, sophomore year. And on top of all this, this is strictly a fitness center. The School of Kinesiology, as well as the JMU Athletics Department, make use of similar facilities in Godwin Hall. Speaking of UREC, though, I don’t know if this was deliberate or not, but at UREC, you never have to do warm-ups. Why? UREC is close to no one. You come from Potomac Hall, and you have to go down 40-some steep steps and down a little road. From the Village, you have to go out, through the tunnel, and then up a small hill. From the Lake area, you have to go past Godwin Field and through the tunnel. Hillside and Bluestone areas, forget UREC… getting there IS your workout! Still, you’ve just got to love what a state-of-the-art fitness center, all available at the swipe of a JAC card, can do for the body. Keeps off the dreaded “freshman fifteen” (and the sophomore fifteen, junior fifteen, and senior fifteen for that matter), and keeps you feelin’ fine…
Date posted: September 24, 2001
Notes: This quote was repeated on the main page November 5-10, 2002.