Fitness and exercise can go beyond the walls of a building. For those who like to exercise outdoors, whether playing a sport or just goofing off, the newly updated Michael Yaron fields located directly behind the Wellness Center offer just that.
The Intramural Fields, as they used to be called, were given the name the Michael Yaron Fields in honor of the man who donated the money necessary to fix them up. The fields are used for club sports, intramural sports and open recreation time for those who like to toss around a football or just play soccer with friends.
The fields were given a $1 million face-lift in the summer of 2001. Updates include an irrigation system, replacing troublesome crabgrass with nicer grass, a lighting system that rivals baseball stadiums and even surveillance cameras. Perhaps most helpful is a lightning detection system that forms a canopy over the fields if lightning were to strike, protecting everyone beneath it.
Registration for intramurals begins the first day of fall classes and is open to any undergrad, grad, medical or law student in any grade level. Some intramural sports offered are football, soccer, basketball, softball, and volleyball.
The Wellness Center provides a Free Agent Program that offers students a chance to meet others interested in playing on team sports but do not have enough people to make a team.
Before the renovations, the fields were open to the public. Now only Wellness Center members have access to the fields, which are monitored by staff during Wellness Center hours.