Monthly Archives: February 2012

Chatting With An IM Street Hockey Enthusiast

Posted on 02/27/2012 by Stacey Northup

This semester, Campus Rec Intramural Sports offers basketball, indoor soccer, volleyball, and more. In fact, they’re offering a total of nineteen different sports so there’s something for everyone!

One of the most popular spring sports is street hockey. Since registration for the sport opens today, we spoke with a fellow Tar Heel who we knew would be excited. Eli McCrain both plays and referees IM Street Hockey. Read about his experience with Intramural Sports and then find out how you can be a part!

Eli, what year are you and what is your major?

I am a sophomore majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Philosophy.

 Have long have you played and refereed IM Street Hockey?

I’ve done both for two years. My brother, Josh, was a very successful Campus Rec employee and he encouraged me to apply for the job!

And are you involved in any other IM Sports?

I also officiate basketball and softball, but street hockey is the only sport I play.

What is your favorite thing about playing IM Street Hockey?

I love how great of a workout I get by playing Street Hockey. It’s tough running around the court- I get so tired!

 So, what has been your IM Street Hockey team’s greatest accomplishment?

Last year, my team earned the championship t-shirt for Co-Rec. It was a huge step for us and it was very exciting!

 

Registration for IM Street Hockey opens today, February 27th, and closes March 13th. The game is played between two teams of six players, including a goalie, so be sure to sign up enough players for a full team and for substitutes! You can play either Single Sex or Co-Rec.

If you’re new to Street Hockey, don’t worry – Campus Rec has all the rules of the game on their website.  And if you’re up for playing multiple IM sports, be sure to check out the schedule for the rest of the semester. Ultimate Disc, Texas Hold’em and Co-Rec Kickball are just a few of the sports still to come! Find out more about IM Street Hockey and other IM sports at campusrec.unc.edu/intramural-sports.

Categories: Intramurals | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Fitness & Nutrition Roundup: Eating Healthy While Traveling, The Disturbing Side Effects of Soda & more!

Posted on 02/23/2012 by Stacey Northup

7 Tips to Eat Healthy While Traveling: Spring Break is just around the corner, but you shouldn’t throw away all your hard work during that one week. Built Lean has seven tips so you can eat nutritiously while still enjoying yourself on vacation.

Firm up Fast with 10 Busy-Girl Buffers: It’s time for midterms once again and you may find yourself short on time. Self has a quick but effective workout to sculpt your body, specifically for women!

9 Disturbing Side Effects of Soda: We all know that soda is full of sugar and can pack on some pounds, but what else does it do to our bodies? Rodale lists nine side effects of soda which may convince you to kick your daily dose of cola.

The Best New Exercises for Every Part of a Man’s Body: If you’re trying to get past a plateau, speed up fat loss or simply try something new, Men’s Health has a new workout for you. With these moves, you can sculpt each muscle in an entirely new way.

Categories: News Roundup | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Win a Partner Training Session!

Posted on 02/20/2012 by Stacey Northup

Like to win prizes? What about prizes that help you reach your fitness goals? Then keep reading for an exciting opportunity…

Are you a new exerciser who needs help figuring out how to accomplish your goals? Do you need someone to hold you accountable to sticking with your routine? Or, are you simply looking for a way to mix-up your workout?

Personal training is a great option for anyone, especially those who need some extra encouragement or personalized instruction. Before working with a Campus Rec trainer, you’ll take a fitness assessment, which will help you trainer develop a personalized routine that is both challenging and exciting. With a personal trainer, you’ll learn how to exercise effectively and safely during your sessions.

Partner training is also available for pairs that have similar fitness goals.  So if you and a friend have similar fitness goals, why not sign up together for company and accountability?

Now, for the best part: Campus Rec is giving away partner training sessions to three lucky winners. If you’re chosen, you and a friend will win 2 hours of training time! How can you enter? It’s simple:

  1. Like Tar Heel Tone Up on Facebook facebook.com/Tar-Heel-Tone-Up
  2. Leave a comment below, telling us why personal training sessions interest you.

We’ll pick the winner on Friday, February 24th. Good luck!

Categories: Fitness | Tags: , , , , | 10 Comments

Getting to Know Caitlin Williams

Posted on 02/16/2012 by Stacey Northup

I got the chance to interview Caitlin Williams, Women’s Rugby Club President. She filled me in on what she loves about her team, what it takes to be a rugby player and how to get involved!

First thing first: What is your year and major?

I’m a senior Global Studies major (Latin America; Global Health & Environment concentrations) from South Orange, NJ. I’m also a Robertson Scholar here at Carolina (and a proud Tar Heel!!!) and have been playing rugby for four years.

What made you decide to play rugby?

I was originally planning on trying out for the club volleyball team (I played in high school) but while I was at Fall Fest some members of the rugby team convinced me to sign up. I had so much fun at my first rugby practice that I never made it to volleyball try-outs!

What does a typical practice look like for your team?

We warm up as a team and do about 10-15 minutes of fitness work before jumping into skills workshops in small groups. Later we split into forward and backs (rugby is the opposite of American football in that forwards are the stronger players while backs are the faster players) to work on position-specific skills. Finally, we come together as a team to run through full-field play.

Tell us about some of your team’s accomplishments.

Last year we advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2006 (that was our third consecutive year at Nationals as the South regional champion). UNC won the South regional championship in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2009-2011. We also won UNC Sport Club of the Year in 2010.

That’s pretty impressive. What is your most memorable moment of playing rugby at Carolina?

Playing at nationals my first year. I had joined the team some eight months earlier, knowing absolutely NOTHING about rugby, and there I was on the pitch at the National championships. If you had told me that would happen when I was in high school, I never would have believed you.

 What is your favorite thing about playing this sport?

It sounds crazy, but I really enjoy the contact. As women, we have so few opportunities to be physical that it’s really nice to have a chance to have that outlet. It’s great stress relief and it’s within a very controlled setting. People usually have this vision of rugby as a very violent, chaotic sport and it’s not at all. It’s a sanctioned space to channel that physicality in a different way than we (women) are ever allowed to.

What’s your favorite thing about playing on your team?

I love the sense of community that you find with rugby teams. It sounds cliché but this team really is my family here at Carolina. And it’s not just UNC. I’ve played with teams both within the US and abroad, and that sense of family/team/community- whatever you want to call it- is always the same. We form very strong bonds with our teammates but we also have great friendships with members of other teams. It’s always fun to go to a tournament and realize just how many of the opposing players you know.

Lastly, how can someone get involved with the rugby team?

Come to a practice! They are Tuesday and Thursday from 8 – 10 pm on Hooker field 4. Or shoot us an email at uncwomensrugby@unc.edu

Categories: Sport Clubs | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Kids ROCK!

Posted on 02/13/2012 by Stacey Northup

If you have some Tar Heel youngsters, you will love this event! One Saturday each month, Campus Rec holds Kids ROCK!, which  offers Carolina students, faculty and staff the chance to play and exercise with their children and uncover a variety of fun, healthy activities for Carolina kids to enjoy. Best of all, thanks to the generosity of UNC staff and sponsors who aid to fight against a national rise in juvenile obesity and diabetes, the program is completely free!

Earlier this semester, a volleyball event was held with the varsity women’s team and their head coach Joe Saula. This Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. until noon, there will be an indoor climbing event at RHRC. Campus Rec staff will lead various games for both kids and parents on the climbing wall. Other activities this semester include a basketball session in March for March Madness, and then in April, a field hockey event will be held with the Women’s Field Hockey team!

To sign up for an activity, e-mail Mike Tomlin at mtomlin@email.unc.edu at least two days before an event.

So be sure to sign up for the free climbing event this Saturday! For more information on Kids ROCK and all the events this semester, visit http://campusrec.unc.edu/special-events.

Categories: Special Events | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Fitness & Nutrition Roundup: The Benefits of Zumba, 52 Healthy Meals & More!

Posted on 02/09/2012 by Stacey Northup

Zumba Workout Benefits: If you are considering attending this week’s Zumbathon or are a regular at the class, be sure to check out this link. LiveStrong discusses how great Zumba is for you – it’s a full body workout and is a great aerobic activity!

52 Healthy Meals in 12 Minutes or Less: Think you don’t have time to eat a nutritious meal? Greatist has over 50 meals from breakfast to dinner that are fast, easy and can even be made by those who don’t see themselves winning Top Chef anytime soon.

9 Rules to Break: Think you know all the rules for a perfect workout routine? Women’s Health gives nine alternatives to some overrated fitness tips for a smarter gym session.

Categories: News Roundup | Tags: , , , , , | 10 Comments

Get Down at Zumbathon

Posted on 02/06/2012 by Stacey Northup

Zumbathon

Last semester, I was able to attend the first bi-annual Zumbathon, where I got a killer workout, free food and a stylin’ t-shirt (which I wear almost weekly – or whenever I get around to doing laundry). Roughly 100 students got together for a few hours to Zumba to raise money for ‘A Drink for Tomorrow’, which funds clean water to impoverished countries.

UNC Campus Rec is excited to announce a second Zumbathon this Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5:30-7:30. And this semester, they have partnered with the Black Student Movement. We are going to celebrate Black History Month by dancing the night away hip-hop style.

Similar to last semester’s setup, Zumbathon will feature four 20-minute Zumba sessions interspersed with performances from UNC Student Organizations. Que Rico, The Achorants, and Phi Beta Sigma STEPS will provide entertainment while your heart rate gets a short rest from all the cardio. And, to push you through two hours of dancing, there will be free food from Jersey Mike’s.

The Achordants will be performing at Zumbathon

Tickets, which include a t-shirt, are only $10 and can be purchased in the SRC Main Office with cash or your One Card. In addition, tickets will be available in the Pit from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on February 6-8. Be sure to get your ticket soon because space is limited!

For more information on this semester’s Zumbathon, visit http://campusrec.unc.edu/zumbathon.

Categories: Fitness, Special Events | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Step Class

Posted on 02/02/2012 by Stacey Northup

This week I attended a Step Class and got a quick, effective , fun workout. I’ve used the “step” before in the Muscle Cut Barbells class. However, that class focused more on strength training while Step class focused more on cardio and choreography.

If you love Zumba (or dancing in general), you will love Step. It’s a lot like Zumba, just with less booty-shaking and more muscle burn.

I had to learn choreography, but getting there about 10 minutes early helped. The instructor, Wil, ran through the moves to give me and my fellow newbies a head start. The choreography was pretty easy to follow since each move was repeated 8 to 15 times. But I didn’t even have to focus on the counts- I  was able to watch  Wil or listen to her counts, which let me focus more on my own moves. Also, we repeated everything in the opposite direction or on the opposite side – so by round two, I had practically perfected the routines.

So here are the two things you need to know:

  1. Arrive about 15 minutes early – you can set up during the first five minutes and go over the moves for the next 10.
  2. You can modify the class to your fitness level – the more step risers you stack, the more intense your workout will be. People in this class typically used one or two risers on each side of the step bench.

That’s it! Do this and before you know it, you’ll be done with you total body workout. And if you’re a fan of this class (or it sounds like something you would enjoy)  be sure to check out Zumbathon on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5:30 until 7:30. If you like choreography, then you will have a blast at this two hour event.

If you’re interested in taking a Step class like me, be sure to check out the group fitness class schedule for a few different times and days!

Categories: Group Fitness Class Reviews | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

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