Ultimate Rec—a dormant spring co-curricular—returns to life on the Quad.
Participants are given the opportunity to choose their activity daily, which encourages a range of interest and involvement. There are separate groups for each activity, so each person has the opportunity to explore the options.
Yet the freedom of opportunity provided by this co-curricular has also created controversy, as the minute time commitment allows some members to “specialize” in a single sport not competitively offered during the spring; the expansive free time allows athletes to continue training during their off-season.
“I joined Ultimate Rec so I could have pure fun outdoors for an hour every day, but also have more free time to focus on work and other interests,” explained Julien Chaix ’13, who plays basketball during the winter. “There are a lot of kids who play other sports and use the extra time for those because it’s only an hour every day,” Chaix said.
Jordan Jancze ’13, a varsity soccer and hockey player, praised the co-curricular for its enjoyable and multifarious activities. “We have a blast doing anything from soccer to tanning. It’s a great way to hone your stickball skills and work on life skills.”
Spanish Teacher Stephen Taft, this year’s Ultimate Rec Coach, thinks that “[the activity] began some years ago, when, due to re-construction of the present lower-level tennis courts, there were not enough courts to handle as many students who used to do rec tennis.”
As a result, Ultimate Rec was established as an outdoor, recreational activity to interested students.
The co-curricular offers various sports and activities including volleyball, frisbee, soccer, capture-the-flag, dodgeball, football, nature hikes, kickball, and tag. The commitment lasts only one hour a day, four days a week.
Lack of interest in previous years caused the activity’s discontinuation.
“For many years, there was a spring soccer group, too, but interest dwindled until it was no longer justified by the numbers. Last year, Ultimate Rec was small in numbers and was sort of attached to Ultimate Disc,” Mr. Taft explained.
Fortunately for current students, the demand for Ultimate Rec increased to a level that fostered its rebirth.
Ultimate Rec’s comeback has received mainly positive reviews from its participants, but the jury is still out from outside observers.