All UTM students have a membership at the Recreation, Athletic and Wellness Centre (RAWC).
That’s what Jack Krist, Program Coordinator at the RAWC, wants us all to know. If you have a TCard, you can access the RAWC for free.
Built five years ago, the RAWC offers golf cages, squash courts, aerobics rooms, multiple gymnasiums, a running track, tennis courts, and a pool—and virtually everything else you’d want to see in a gym.
Free fitness classes are available to all students. These fitness classes range from spinning to yoga and require no sign-up—just drop in for a class whenever you have time.
If you’d like to play on a team, consider joining a Campus Rec intramural league. There are two tiers: one for beginners and one for more skilled athletes. The leagues are especially keen on attracting more women; currently, the team recruiting the most players is the women’s ice hockey team.
If you’re interested in Campus Rec intramurals, you have two choices. You can make your own team, or you can go to the Campus Rec office and sign up to the free agent list for a particular sport, which is made available to all intramural team captains for that sport.
Meetings for Campus Rec teams will take place on Tuesday, September 20. There are also still tryouts left for the U of T intramural teams. These teams consists of the best players from all three campuses. If you’re interested, check out the RAWC website for tryout dates.
“If you find there aren’t any Campus Rec intramural teams for a sport that you really want to play, talk to the programs department,” said Jack Krist. “Our facility caters to what UTM students want. If they want to play a particular sport, all they need to start a Campus Rec league is four teams.”
If you want to play against other schools but didn’t make it to a U of T varsity team, consider joining an extramural team. The extramural teams play against colleges in tournaments. These types of teams don’t require as many players as intramurals—just one team.
For those students who can’t afford a weekly commitment, there is another option: casual recreation is free to all. There are scheduled games for a variety of sports including badminton, soccer, and cricket.
There are also women-only sports hours, offered in Gym C.
Any time the gym isn’t scheduled for games or practices, students can use the facility for their own leisure activities. Staff are available to help you set up nets if you ask. The gym is large enough to accommodate multiple activities at the same time.
The pool, which boasts a retractable floor in the shallow end, offers many different activities: recreational swim, fun swim, women-only swim, and aerobic swim.
Instructional lessons in various sports are also offered for a charge at the RAWC. To attend lessons, you have to register on the RAWC website and pay the required fees. Instructional classes include swimming lessons and golf classes.
If you don’t know where anything is in the RAWC, never fear! The RAWC offers fitness centre orientations for free. You can sign up for the 30-minute orientations on the RAWC website: www.utm.utoronto.ca/athletics.
