Hamline’s campus recreation is a service open to all students that is continuing to grow with more students participating and new clubs and ideas emerging.

Lamar Shingles is serving his second term as the Director of Campus Recreation. Under his leadership there have been many additions to their services. Recent additions include Rock Star Club (a rock climbing club) and Yoga Club.

“We’re still developing, looking for students’ wants,” Shingles said.

Campus Recreation also includes intramural sports such as flag football, basketball, floor hockey and volleyball.

First-year Kaalid Omar was a participant on the intramural flag football team this past year. Even though his team’s record wasn’t where he’d liked it to be, he still had a blast.

“We got to play under the lights [at Klaus Field]. It was so dope, so cool,” he said.

Junior Yakasah Wehyee was an active participant in Campus Recreation in his first two years at Hamline. He was a member of the midnight soccer team, Hamline Rag Race. Wehyee had a passion for soccer and played for his high school.

Due to time constraints of the college lifestyle, Wehyee felt it wasn’t in his best interest to pursue an opportunity to play for Hamline’s men’s soccer team. However, he was still able to play the sport he loved on a flexible schedule basis.

From his experience, he learned skills that would apply beyond the soccer field.

“Team aspect,” Wehyee said, “the collective effort of working toward a goal with other people.”

He said his experience has taught him how to effectively work in groups.

Senior TJ Styx has witnessed the growth of the Campus Recreation over the past four years. During his first year on campus, a friend asked him if he’d like to join a four-on-four volleyball tournament.

“From there on I did the league every semester,” he said.

Through this experience, Styx said he was able to meet new people and network. He said it also helped him become aware of other programs and clubs around campus.

“[Campus Recreation] gives everyone that experience that they’re looking for in college. You want to have fun and meet new people,” he said.

Styx also works in marketing for Campus Recreation. By updating and adding graphics to their Facebook page, he wants to create awareness for events.

“[We’re] trying to create the best avenues for people to sign up for our program,” he said.

On a grading scale, Styx said he would give it an “A+”.

“The program has come a long way,” he said.

Styx talked about out how the sign-ups for events in the past were all done by paper. Now it’s online, which makes registering for events easier, quicker and more accessible for students.

“We’re a competitive program nationwide,” Styx said.

He visited the national conference and said Hamline’s program has been more innovative than other schools that have bigger budgets under their recreation program.

“Lamar Shingles took it to another level,” Styx said.

Shingles has been working on proposing the “sports courts.”

The sports courts would be an outside outlet that would include courts for volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton. During the winter, his plan is to freeze the courts so there can be ice skating. Shingles revealed that these plans have been mentioned, and they’re working through the process of getting this plan officially announced for approval.

Shingles definitely has Styx’s vote of confidence.\

“I wish it would have been here my freshman year,” Styx said.

He feels that the sport courts would not only help expand their program, but he also feels the new attraction would add to Hamline’s campus.

“I think it would go a long way,” Styx said. “Not only in creating that atmosphere that you want on campus but it would also make students who want to come to our campus that much more interested in coming.”