Category: Announcements

2017 Employee Award Winners

The recreation department gathered together for the annual end of the year cookout and awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 9^th. In addition to an abundance amount of food and games played, the time is used to recognize our graduating seniors, area award winners and announce the departmental employee of the year recipient. Congratulations to all!

Department Awards Recipients:

Fall Employee of the Semester – KJ Walter (AFC/Skyline Operations)
Spring Employee of the Semester – Matthew Mast (Aquatic Programming)
Recreation Employee of the Year – Mike Morris (Aquatic Operations)

Area Awards:

AFC and Skyline Operations

The Glue Stick Award – Lizzy Spooner
The Green Submarine Award – Jay-r San Luis
Most Improved – Holli Helm
FISH Customer Service Award – Charlene Agustin
Mighty Mentor – Andrew Trumpler

Aquatic Operations

Rescue Randy Award – Taylor Rhinehart
The Hoagie Award –
DiCaprio Award – Jake McCusker
FISH Customer Service Award – Gio Encarncion
Aquatic – Mike Morris

Aquatic Programs

Swim Instructor of the Year – Maya Stallings
Safety Instructor of the Year – Mike Morris

The EDGE

Most Likely to Lend a Helping Hand – Alex Butterfield
Most Likely to Show Grace Under Pressure – Laura Wingfield

Fitness

C’s Finest Award — Grant Gravette
C’s Finest Award — Tara Esmaeili
C’s Finest Award — Sean Kohler
C’s Finest Award — Justin Sumblin

Intramurals

Rookie of the Year – Hesler Reyes
Golden Whistle – Alyssa Nacman
MVP – Susan Murphy

Outdoor Adventures

Rookie of the Year – Emily Cissell
Grandma Gatewood Award – Emily Busch

RAC/Park Operations

The “Key” to the RAC – Adrian Acuna
Most Improved – Hailey Quigley
FISH Customer Service Award – Kai’ulani Grebin
Mighty Mentor – Gavi Siman Tov

Facilities

“Bringing Home the Bacon” Award – Liz Vana

Congratulations to all of the award winners and thank you to the entire staff for making 2016-2017 an amazing year! Have a great summer!

Club Sports Post Competition Report: May 6-7

Club Sports Post Competition Report: April 28-30

GMU Women’s Club Lacrosse — Jiordan Carter

Before college, I had played lacrosse for about 11 years. I played from middle school up until I graduated high school. I was always extremely athletic. Some years I participated in a sport every season just to continuously stay active. However, after I graduated high school, I wanted to take some time away from sports because I had felt like sports had become more of a routine instead of an activity I truly enjoyed. I decided to use the time that was dedicated to playing sports to try and develop other hobbies I have always been interested in but just haven’t had the time to do. I spent my freshman year reflecting on who I was and what being an athlete meant to me. I wanted to find out how much of an impact sports actually had on my life, now that I completely had the choice to continue to compete or not.

After a whole year of not competing in sports, I realized how much I missed being a part of a team. I missed that feeling of excitement you get when you make an awesome play or win a big game. I wanted to experience that again, so I decided to join the GMU Women’s Club Lacrosse team. The club lacrosse team was a good way for me to be a part of an actual competition again without too much of a demanding commitment. The practices were necessary and insightful, but very fun and relaxed as well. We didn’t have a very long season but every game we played, everyone put their all into it. We all worked well as a team together and it felt great to enjoy playing a sport I loved. I felt that it was amazing to play a sport I loved without too much pressure about being the best or not making any mistakes. I could feel at ease while playing the game.

I realized how much I had been missing out on when I took that year off. To anyone who loves to play sports for the passion of the game but also wants to simply have fun without the games/practices being too much of a burden, I recommend joining a club team of your favorite sport. You will get to have fun representing Mason by playing a sport you love. Our lacrosse team ended with a record of 2-2, and I am extremely proud to be a part of the team and will continue to be a part of the team in the near future.

By: Jiordan Carter

How to Get Excited about Working Out

By: Destany Martin

Sometimes, it seems like working out is the absolute last thing you want to do. Not everyone genuinely likes working out (like myself), and often times we are very busy which can drain our energy and make us less likely to want to go to the gym. In moments like these, some kind of motivation is necessary. From personal experience, I have to get myself “in the mood” in order to work out otherwise I just will not go, or I won’t be as willing to put forth the necessary effort. I have found out that when I am feeling this way, I have to try different methods in order to get motivated to go work out.

If the thought of being at the gym for an hour of my day is too long and unrealistic for my energy level, I will set a smaller goal. For example, I will tell myself I will only be there for half an hour. This helps the workout seem easier and less intimidating. While sometimes I only have time for half an hour, or feel unbearably tired; most times I can trick myself into setting a smaller goal, and by exceeding it once I am then in the right headspace. Another thing that I have found to be really helpful is looking at inspirational posts on the internet or social media. Sometimes, I will go on Instagram and look at health and fitness pages that post inspiring quotes about healthy living and it really helps excite me about the benefits of working out. Sometimes I’ll even watch YouTube videos of weight-loss stories that help me stay motivated. I find that this is my most helpful method of getting workout ready, and also helps me stay motivated long-term within my own fitness journey. Lastly, I found that if I absolutely have to, I will have a pre-workout coffee or snack that provides energy. While I do not necessarily like doing this, caffeine definitely does the trick.

Whatever works for you, use it! Be aware of what helps you the most and try to lean on that when necessary. The simple fact is, most of us are not always excited to work out. We’re human. However, with a little extra push, we can do it.

Reasons Why You Should Work Out With Friends More Often

Before college, I always thought I did not like working out with people. Personally, I did not see the benefit of it. The best way of explaining the feelings I had back then are that I simply felt it was my own personal journey, and I genuinely liked the time to myself. However, after being in college for a while, I have realized just how much I actually like working out with my friends and how much I benefit from doing so. I have compiled a list of reasons as to why I believe people should work out with their friends more often.

They Keep You Motivated

While I would say that most group exercises have the power to keep you motivated, I think there is something about working out with friends that is extraordinarily motivating. Personally, when I work out with my friends, it is not only that their presence itself is motivating, but they give me words of encouragement as well. It feels good to have your friends encourage you during your workout as it pushes you to do more especially when that encouragement comes from them.

It’s Fun… and Funny

I can’t speak for all groups of friends, but I know that when my friends and I work out, we have fun. We are usually doing something with equipment, playing really good music, and singing along the entire time. We also crack jokes at each other the entire time, so we end up laughing the majority of the workout. It can make it a little harder for me to focus sometimes, but we do it and it makes it so much more enjoyable.

Healthy Competition

I won’t say that when I work out with my friends that we are all trying to “one-up” each other, but there is a sense of healthy competition (whether we want to admit it or not). I think this sense of competition can be beneficial, fun, and motivating (as long as there are no hard feelings).

Accountability

When you know that you and a friend are meeting up for a workout, you are more likely to actually show up for the workout. Friends hold you accountable. They are there to ask you if you are “still coming this Friday”, and what would it look like if you didn’t show?

Recovery

If you and a friend go to a super intense yoga class, it’s more than likely that the two of you will be extremely sore in the coming days. You two are feeling the same pain, so you can recover together. After the super intense workout, you guys can recover together and plan the next shared gym session as well.

National Student Employee Appreciation

Cameron Brown

Major- Neuroscience

Class - Freshmen CSA

Why I like working for Mason Rec ? - I like working at Mason Rec becuase my co-workers are always friendly and willing to help. Its like a bee hive all the bees working together to produce honey.

Fun Fact- Yaya Tour'e is my favorite soccer player.