By Nazifa Islam

Every February 22, NIRSA members across North America celebrate Recreational Sports & Fitness Day, a commemoration of NIRSA’s founding date. Rec Day is a time to remember when Dr. William Wasson brought 20 intramural directors from 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities together to share his research on collegiate recreation. This historic day led to the start of an association so many people are invested in today!

And what started as 11 schools convening about intramural activity in 1950 has since become a worldwide phenomenon in support of the idea that recreational sports on campus matter. In 2016, more than 100 institutes participated in Rec Day—or in some cases, Rec Week! Here are a few glimpses at the festivities from the Twittersphere and beyond.

Some schools put together amazing video recaps of their Rec Day celebrations! Check out this video recap from Georgetown University.

And here’s another from the University of Arkansas!

University of the Pacific held an epic scavenger hunt.

Among many activities, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology offered arcade basketball.

Boston College went all out with some Glow Zumba.

MIT offered a squat workshop, a flip turn clinic, a BollyX class, and an indoor 5K!

The University of California, Riverside asked its student the all-important question, “How do you rec?”

These and so many other amazing Rec Day 2016 plans can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Check out what schools did to celebrate for ideas on how to make your Rec Day 2017 the best one yet!

How do you rec?

Did you celebrate Rec Day? Let us know about your activities—send photos, stories, and links to NIRSA Communications Coordinator Nazifa Islam for a chance to be featured on NIRSA’s social media platforms!

Thank you!

Thanks to our participating schools. Don’t see your school on the list? Let us know!

Arizona State UniversityAshland UniversityAssumption CollegeAuburn UniversityAugusta UniversityAustin Peay State UniversityBoston CollegeBowling Green State UniversityCalifornia State University, BakersfieldCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, East BayClemson UniversityThe College of New JerseyColorado State UniversityCornell UniversityDrexel UniversityDuke UniversityEast Carolina UniversityEast Stroudsburg UniversityEastern Kentucky UniversityEdinboro University of PennsylvaniaEmory UniversityFairmont State UniversityFerris State UniversityFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityFlorida International UniversityFlorida Memorial UniversityFlorida Southern CollegeGannon UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Southern UniversityGrand Valley State UniversityHamline UniversityHobart and William Smith CollegesHofstra UniversityJames Madison University Kent State UniversityLamar UniversityLander UniversityLouisiana State UniversityMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyMillersville UniversityMississippi University for WomenMorehead State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityNorthern Alberta Institute of TechnologyNorthern Kentucky UniversityNorthern Michigan UniversityThe Ohio State UniversityOhio UniversityOld Dominion UniversityPepperdine UniversityPortland State UniversityPrinceton universityRose-Hulman Institute of TechnologySaginaw Valley State UniversitySaint Leo UniversitySaint Peter’s UniversitySalisbury UniversitySan Francisco State UniversitySchoolcraft CollegeSouth Dakota State UniversitySouthern Connecticut State UniversitySouthern Illinois University EdwardsvilleSouthern New Hampshire UniversitySouthern Plains CollegeSt. Ambrose UniversityStanford UniversityState University of New York at CortlandTexas A&M University–CommerceTexas Southern UniversityTexas Tech UniversityUniversity of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham University of ArkansasUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, RiversideUniversity of Central ArkansasUniversity of Colorado BoulderUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of HawaiiUniversity of Illinois at SpringfieldUniversity of MichiganUniversity of Missouri–St. LouisUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteUniversity of North DakotaUniversity of North TexasUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity of OregonUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Rhode IslandUniversity of RichmondUniversity of South FloridaUniversity of Southern MississippiUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at DallasUniversity of Texas at San AntonioUniversity of the PacificUniversity of VirginiaUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of West GeorgiaUniversity of WyomingWestern Carolina UniversityWestern Kentucky UniversityWheaton CollegeWhitworth CollegeWichita State UniversityWorcester PolytechnicYork College, City University of New York

For more information about Recreational Sports & Fitness Day, please contact NIRSA Creative Director Cory Granholm.