UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SIDELINE TEAM SPORTS, 
TACKLING PERSONAL FITNESS INSTEAD

	The lines of students waiting to use exercise equipment; the
candor in admitting they schedule classes around work-out schedules;
the rows of sweaty bodies pulling, pushing and pumping machines:
tangible evidence that University of Virginia students embrace
Thomas Jefferson's quote above the new Aquatic and Fitness Center: 

"Give about two hours every day to exercise, for health must not be
sacrificed to learning.  A strong body makes the mind strong." 

	The number of people using U.Va.'s recreational facilities
has increased 2.25 percent over five years; 521,825 people used the
facilities in 1995-96, compared to 510,334 in 1990-91. Since the
June, 1996 opening of the 100,000 square-foot Aquatic and Fitness
Center, with its Olympic size pool, leisure pool and 16-person
whirlpool, usage has jumped nearly 52 percent. Consequently, 794,800
are projected to use U.Va.'s recreational facilities this academic
year. 

	Ed Rivers, associate director in U.Va.'s
intramural-recreational sports department, attributes the increase
to two central factors: student preference for non-competitive
activities and the ease with which they can fit exercise into their
schedules.

	"Students in the '90s are gravitating toward either
individualized fitness and instructional programs or team-building
activities conducted in supportive, non-judgmental environments,"
Rivers said. 

	Student attitudes toward exercise and physical fitness have
changed significantly at U.Va. in the past six years, say Rivers and
Mark Fletcher, director of the intramural-recreational sports
department. The number of students engaging in competitive,
team-oriented sports the department offers has fallen off sharply.
Students prefer to participate in individualized fitness and
recreational-instruction classes. 

	Student participation in competitive team sports has
declined nationwide over the past five years. "A downward trend is
apparent," said Rivers, who has confirmed the change through
conversations and electronic postings with colleagues.

	U.Va.'s intramural-recreational sports programs historically
have been male-dominated and focused on competitive team sports.  In
the past two decades as female students have begun increasingly
engaging in exercise programs, the department has added aerobic
fitness, outdoor recreation and non-credit recreational-instruction
classes. 

	As of December 1996, student participation in the
department's intramural sports program that includes such
competitive team sports as hockey, soccer and baseball had declined
about 40 percent over the number that participated in the 1990 fall
semester.  The number of aerobics classes grew by 38 percent over
the same period; 3,650 students participated in such classes in
1995-96, compared to 2,634 in the 1990-91 academic year.

	Demand for instruction in such recreational activities as
tennis, squash, racquetball and swimming has surged over the same
period.  Approximately 2,300 students participated in such classes
during 1995 96, compared to 1,100 in the 1990-91 school year.  Other
popular instructional classes include yoga, martial arts,
weight/fitness training, scuba, CPR, first aid and lifeguarding.

	"People can fit an individualized exercise activity into
their busy schedules easier than the practice-and-games demands of
competitive sports," Rivers said.

Taking to the Great Outdoors

	Students are engaging in outdoor-recreation programs, such
as rock climbing, kayaking, backpacking and hiking, in increasing
numbers. Demand for such activities has grown about 100 percent over
five years. Approximately 1,600 students participated in just over
100 programs during 1995-96, compared to 800 in about 70 programs
during the 1990-91 school year. The department is also experiencing
an increased demand for outdoor-recreation classes beyond the novice
level. 

	"Students have found such classes are a great way to have
fun, meet people and get involved in an activity that they can enjoy
for a lifetime," Fletcher said.

	U.Va. students are increasingly engaging in non-competitive
team-building activities, such as the Adventure Challenge Ropes
Course. "Team-building activities that focus on learning new skills,
such as communication and collaboration, are more popular today than
those that focus on dominating or winning and losing. Recreational
pursuits today generally focus on connecting the mind and body, as
opposed to pure physical activity," Rivers said.

Heading in New Direction

	The trend in individualized activities may lead to future
university activities that combine personal pleasures with outdoor
recreation, said Fletcher, who oversees the operation of 11 programs
and six facilities.  He anticipates more wilderness-adventure
programs, such as rafting or fly fishing. "People want leisure-time
activities that give them a workout or skill while contributing to
their overall sense of well-being," he said.

	And, yes, Thomas Jefferson would approve of such
activities.  As the intramural recreational sports letterhead notes,
Thomas Jefferson wrote: 

"Exercise and recreation are as necessary as reading. I will say
rather more necessary because health is worth more than learning." 

	For more information, contact Ed Rivers and Mark Fletcher at
(804) 924 3791.  Rivers can also be reached via err8p@virginia.edu
and Fletcher at mef@virginia.edu.  Television reporters should call
our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.

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January 21, 1997