A night of fun and games at the Annual Playfair and Rock the Rec

The last Thursday night before classes, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center held their annual PlayFair from 6 until 7 p.m. and Rock the Rec from 7:30 until 9:30, to welcome new students and old to the new school year. The lower floor of the recreation center was taken over by a crowd of students. The entertainment introduced students to the SRWC and all that it offers.

The Playfair is an energizing ice breaker that began with a double line of students forming as each new student entered the court of the rec room, with rock music playing as everyone accelerated up for the beginning of Playfair. It was all about bonding and team-building.

“The students come in and do icebreakers on steroids.” said Joel Bluml, associate vice president for student life.  “They transition to Rock the Rec at 7:30.” “We have orientation counselors and lead facilitators who work to get people to meet the Washburn community.”

When some students walked in late, the facilitators made sure they were instantly swept into the fun before they could feel awkward and too late for the fun that was already in progress.

A stage was set up with microphones to guide the students through the different activities, always urging the students to GET LOUD and louder still.

“The Playfair,” said Bluml, “is about getting to know everyone. Everyone can come in and get out of their comfort zone and go a little crazy.”

The crowd of students were told to form a circle and asked questions to bring some of the group to the middle of the floor by inquiries about situations like “Who’s ever cheated on a test?”  Later groups were formed by birthdate months and the groups were asked to do many different things within their group. Later, another way of forming groups was created as students began meeting and learning about each other. It was found that foreign students from India, Spain, France and Japan were represented at Playfair.

Rock the Rec, which officially started at 7:30, with profusion games, such as Bucket Pong (like Beer Pong without the beer and with larger equipment), Zumba and climbing the Rock Wall.  Several prizes were given out for any number of reasons so that rarely would one go home without one prize or more. There was also a photo booth.

“There’s a ton of different activities,” said Bluml, where they can play and come away with a bunch of apparel”

Many newly initiated WU Ichabod’s left the SRWC on Thursday night after all the fun and games.

Playfair and Rock the Rec is also a way to get students familiar with what the SRWC is and how they can use it throughout their Washburn experience.

For those who missed the activities on Thursday, there are many ways to use the rec center. For those who missed the event, there are many ways to keep up a good workout regimen, start a new one or just have fun with all the options available to get that metabolism revving up.

Baylee Kempfe is a senior psychology major and facility supervisor at the Rec Center who also teaches some group exercise classes. “We have what is called a Smart Start Orientation,” said Kempfe, “that is a one-on-one introduction by appointment with one of our professional staff members.”

The orientation is for those who would like a run-through on the vast amount of equipment available and how to use it. There is a rock wall for those who like to climb and other exercise gear for everyone at every level to use. There is a second floor track that runs the circumference of the building for those who like to walk or run. There is always a monitor on the floor for those who need some assistance.

The hours of the SWRC are Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. until 11p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.