Camosun College’s drop-in sports program is continuing this year, and Camosun College Recreation and Athletics operations assistant Kyle Jones, who helps run the program, is excited to welcome new students onto the gym floor. He also wants to make sure people know that it’s not all about sports—just as importantly, it’s a space to connect with other students.
“It’s a great place to get active and have fun,” says Jones. “You can come alone or you can come with a group of friends. We play badminton, volleyball, soccer, and basketball. And it’s a great place to come and join a community of like-minded people.”
The drop-in sports are free, and run on Tuesday and Thursday nights out of Lansdowne Middle School’s gymnasium and field, across the street from the Lansdowne campus. While some people may worry about their skill level coming into the gym, drop-in sports are about the love of the game.
“It’s open to beginners all the way through to experts,” says Jones. “We’re really just there to have fun… It’s a really positive, welcoming, and warm energy. Everyone tends to interact with lots of other people. If you’re new to something, people will help you out and show you how to play. It’s just a great, great vibe.”
In fact, the most lasting effect of these nights isn’t necessarily physical fitness—it could be the friendships that come out of spending time together.
“People start by coming down and maybe they don’t know anyone, by the end of the night, they’ve got a couple friends,” says Jones. “You started seeing people come in groups later in the year and they’ve got friend groups on campus and that’s really great.”
Students of differing abilities are welcome: the building is accessible, and so is the mentality of the other players.
“The facilities are accessible and I think everyone would be happy to engage in modified versions of the games,” says Jones. “So if someone’s got accessibility issues, we’d be happy to tailor the events to things that they can participate in. And it’s certainly welcome to all members of the Camosun community.”
Badminton, volleyball, soccer, and basketball might not be of interest to all students, however. To these people, Jones says that special events happen all the time.
“Students can watch out for special pop-up events that happen throughout the semester,” he says. “For example, in the future, we’re going to have an indoor soccer night as well as a dodgeball night. So in addition to our regular sports, there are special-feature nights that may be really cool for people to attend, as well.” (Announcements for such events can be found on the Camosun Fitness Recreation Instagram page or through the Facebook group Camosun College Drop In Sports Club.)
Jones says that community is a truly necessary part of the college experience. The sports are fun, but the connections are what really matter in spaces like these, and they are what truly enrich our time in school.
“The friendships that we make outside of the classrooms are probably the most important part of college,” he says. “The academics are really important and can help us going forward in life, but certainly the friendships we make and the good times we have are maybe even more impactful. I think this program is a fantastic way for students to have some of those experiences. I think it’s integral to a quality experience in post-secondary education.”
Drop-in nights are Tuesdays from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm and Thursdays from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm. The drop-in sports end for this semester on December 7. See camosun.ca/services/fitness-recreation for more information.