Get in the zone at Campus Recreation facilities

The University of Illinois boasts a wide range of di erent opportunities for students to work out, play various sports or enjoy a nice picnic with friends. Whatever students want to do, there’s most likely a Campus Recreation facility where they can do it.

The largest Campus Recreation facility on campus, it is also the most popular as it o ers a little bit of everything. Living up to its name, the ARC is home to various recreational activities such as pick-up basketball, indoor volleyball, badminton and even martial arts such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing. With over 340,000 square feet of space, the ARC contains a multitude of features and areas. This includes three gyms to play basketball and various other sports in; two strength and conditioning areas packed with free weights, machines, treadmills and power racks; a performance pod for powerlifters; an indoor track on the second oor; and racquetball courts in the basement.

For the more adventurous students, the ARC has a 35.5-foot climbing wall with built-in auto belays as well as dedicated sta who can help any rookie climbers. There is also a 12-foot bouldering wall for those who want to climb but may be afraid of heights, or those who don’t want to deal with all the straps that come with climbing.

For the more aquatically inclined student, the ARC has two pools: an indoor pool available year-round and an outdoor pool for the warmer months. Additionally, the ARC has supplementary locations and rooms such as the sauna, instructional kitchen used for cooking classes and the combat room, as well as locker rooms and family changing rooms. The

ARC is also home to the majority of winter intramural sports such as basketball and volleyball. The ARC is located across the street from Ikenberry Commons.

CRCE is like a smaller version of the ARC on the Urbana side of campus. With 110,000 feet of space, CRCE is able to accommodate many of the same things the ARC has. These include a gym, a strength and conditioning area, racquetball courts and a track. CRCE also has its own attractions, as it contains the Aquatic Center, which has a leisure pool, water slide and spa. The facility is also home to the multiactivity court, which is used for the indoor soccer intramural season and can be used for oor or roller hockey as well. Another plus of CRCE is that it is usually less crowded than the ARC is, which should provide another incentive for students to check it out.

Built in 1931, the Ice Arena is the oldest building run by Campus Recreation on campus. The arena is open to both students and community members throughout the year. Public skates are o ered throughout the week, with public lunch skates being available every day from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as public skates on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The Ice Arena is home to the Illini Club Hockey Team. Unsurprisingly, the arena is the place to play hockey on campus, with drop-in hockey and stick and puck practice sessions taking place on Friday nights. Intramural hockey also takes place here from April to the rst week of May. For those who can’t ice skate and want to learn, the Ice Arena o ers Learn to Skate programs through Campus Recreation itself or in the form of the course KIN 104: Skating Activities.

A pretty self-explanatory name, the

Outdoor Center Play elds is a collection of outdoor elds, sand volleyball courts and tennis and basketball courts. Located on First Street just across from Ikenberry Commons, the complex includes four lighted turf elds for soccer and football and is where intramural ag football and soccer are played. There are three lighted sand volleyball courts for recreational and intramural use as well as six lighted basketball and tennis courts. There are also drinking fountains and port-a-potties open to students and the public.

Illini Grove is the best place to go for outdoor activities. Located near PAR, Illini Grove is like a park students are most likely nd at home. It is home to a basketball court and sand volleyball court for some fun with friends and has eight lighted picnic sites that each come with a grill. Add a log pavilion with brick grills and drinking fountains as well as nine lighted tennis courts, and Illini Grove is the best place for a cookout or picnic with friends.

With all these facilities on campus, there’s a little something for everyone. So, whether students are a gym rat at the ARC or a rink rat at the Ice Arena, there will always be a place to go to on campus.

The Ice Arena is located at 406 E. Armory Ave., across the street from the Armory. The arena is open to students throughout the year, and also hosts game for the club hockey team.

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