As temperatures outside begin to drop and classes become more time consuming, the desire to be active fades away. Being snuggled up in bed, binge-watching an entire season of your favorite Netflix show in one day may seem like the best idea this time of year, but better options are out there.
Those options include pick-up soccer games at the Student Recreation Center, or dodgeball games in Pershing small gym on the Truman State University campus. These options offer fun, alternative ways to avoid the cold, while also staying active, being social and relieving stress.
If You Can Dodge A Wrench, You Can Dodge A Ball
That may be just a movie quote and not the creed of the dodgeball club known as The Pitlords of Dodgeball, but they play just as hard. The dodgeball club puts on a weekly dodgeball event every Saturday night in the Pershing Building small gym from 7 to 9 p.m.
Daniel House is in charge of the Pitlords and points to the inclusive atmosphere of dodgeball as the reason for its popularity.
“I think dodgeball is a popular event because it caters to a wide variety of people regardless of experience and offers an enormous amount of enjoyment,” says House.
He says the games are open to everyone and include various versions of dodgeball such as Free-For-All, Jailbreak, Pinfall, and more. Dodgeball is a great way to be active because it incorporates running and agility, but you won’t even realize you’re working out because you’ll be too busy having fun while you dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge some more. So, come pick up a ball, and take out your stress from that annoying group project.
Bend It Like…Bulldogs?
Soccer is in full swing this time of the year and popular among soccer fans is to play the new FIFA video game. However, instead of working on the controls of your favorite skill moves in the game, you can come to the rec center on Fridays starting around 4 p.m. and try those moves in real life.
The pick-up indoor soccer games at the rec provide more than just an opportunity to exercise, as they also provide opportunities to meet students from different countries, given soccer’s popularity among international students.
Austin Fay, a Junior at Truman, has been playing soccer at the rec since last fall and says he’s made a lot of new friends.
“[It] is a great way to experience different cultures here in the USA,” says Fay.
Avoid the Wintertime Blues
Some of you may read this and think it isn’t much help because sports may not be your thing, but getting out and finding a way to stay fit and be social is important during this time of year.
Debra Higgins, the director of Student Health Center, says cold weather does more than making your early morning walk to class brutal, it can also affect mental health.
“The winter months can be more difficult for students with Seasonal Affective Disorder due to less hours of sunshine,” says Higgins. “Also, in some people with bipolar disorder, spring and summer can bring on symptoms of mania or a less intense form of mania (hypomania), and fall and winter can be a time of depression.”
If dodgeball and soccer don’t cut it for you, read and ask around about the activities you’re interested in, and find your solution to the problems this hectic, frigid time creates. Truman Student Madison Rees says she prefers yoga.
“Yoga is very simple and relaxing. I like it because it helps me refresh after stressful times,” says Rees.