Indiana University is no longer just “a basketball school”. And no, we are not only becoming “a football school”, but we are quickly expanding into a well-rounded sphere of athletics. “We might be a little bit of a pickleball school too,” said IU Associate Director of Programs for Recreational Sports, Josh Downing. The Pickleball Club at IU has amassed over six hundred members, yet there are currently no dedicated pickleball courts on campus. This oversight is being corrected to the excitement of students both on and off campus. The new recreation park that is currently under construction in the northwest neighborhood of campus entails six pickleball courts, an Assembly Hall themed basketball court, a turf futsal court, and a gym space. This outdoor facility was made possible through grants from the National Fitness Campaign.

 

Downing spoke about the current Student Recreational Sports Center, highlighting its newest renovations and its potential for growth and expansion in the future. He feels as though student recreational sports and activities expands far beyond the walls of the SRSC, and into the plentiful outdoor fields at IU that have been neglected, such as the courts on the corner of 17th Street and Fee lane. Downing then addressed concerns from students about delegation of grant money towards a new facility as opposed to upgrading equipment in the Bill Garrett Field House by stating that current renovations of the field house will include these upgrades in the future.

IU sophomore Alex Bailey has been an avid gym-goer at the SRSC since his first semester on campus. He was thrilled about the new renovations, but still has gripes with the lack of space. He is excited for the new park and feels it will drive out some traffic from the SRSC especially in the warmer months, but wonders about its use during the long winters we experience in Indiana. Downing addressed these statements in stating that “we will keep it open as long as we feel it is safe for students to be out there… we have lights on it … and we think students will go out there and utilize it”.

Bailey expressed a lot of concerns over the usage of the grant. When asked if he believes that people will be working out at the recreation park in the colder months, he replied with, “absolutely not … just in the warmer months”. This is a concern that many students here at IU have expressed. Students have now raised the thought of using this grant towards an expansion on one of the already existing facilities such as the SRSC or the Bill Garrett Field House, but the cost of one of these projects far exceeds the budgeted $1.8 million used for the park. “The cost for out there (Recreation Park) wouldn’t really make a dent of what we need to do here (SRSC)”, said Downing.

Completion of the park is now scheduled for early 2025, following construction setbacks. Students are eager to utilize the park toward the end of the spring semester and next fall.