As the 2014-15 NEIU school year begins to hit its stride, the physical education complex is on its marks and ready to race into a successful club and intramural sport semester.

The P.E. Complex, located on the South end of campus, will play host to hundreds of athletes throughout the school year via intramural sports, club sports, open rec and their Outdoor Adventure Program.

Intramural sports are free to students, faculty and staff and the fall schedule includes eight sports, including the most played sport, soccer.

Christian Kopp, NEIU’s Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, explained intramural sports as “one of the most basic, fundamental ways to get involved on campus.”

Kopp explained that the goal of NEIU’s Campus Rec program, and more specifically intramural sports, was to create organized activity amongst the NEIU community. He’s made the schedule very accessible for students and faculty alike as games are played once a week on either Tuesday or Thursday and they take place during NEIU’s activity hour of 3:00-4:00 p.m.

As with many other “you pay for it so you might as well utilize it” fees that go into NEIU students’ tuition, there is a recreation fee that goes fully towards Campus Rec and its programs.

The intramural program strongly promotes sportsmanship, but these leagues are for both non-competitive and ultra-competitive players. As Kopp put it, “it’s all about the championship t-shirt.”

For those looking for a little bit more than intramurals, Campus Rec offers club sports as well. Many of the school’s sport clubs travel around the area to compete against other schools’ clubs. NEIU has even hosted its own club volleyball tournament in the past, an idea Kopp hopes to duplicate in the future.

If team sports aren’t your thing, you can still get use out of your recreation fee. The P.E. complex offers group fitness classes such as yoga, Zumba and spin as well as a weight room, pool with swimming lanes and occasional team building events utilizing the rock climbing wall and high ropes course. Kopp explained those events as a good way to test yourself physically and mentally.

No, collegiate sports are no longer offered at NEIU, but the Campus Rec program does give you the chance to compete, stay fit and have fun. For more information on Campus Recreation, visit neiu.edu/university-life/campus-recreation. To register for intramurals, visit imleagues.com/neiu.