On September 20, UAH joined other colleges and universities across the globe in celebrating the International Federation of University Sport (FISU) International Day of University Sport. The on-campus activities were organized by the Sport and Fitness Management (SFM) Club in the hopes of highlighting opportunities for students of all backgrounds to be more involved in physical activity. SFM Club member, Kailey O’Hanlon, said, “It was really exciting to see students who aren’t normally involved in sports bridge the gap between students and student-athletes by getting involved.” The scheduled events took place throughout the day all across the UAH campus.
The sponsor of the SFM Club, Dr. Noemi Zaharia, was excited for the opportunity to introduce the event to the UAH community. “We are very excited to be the first university in the US to join this global celebration. The International Day of University Sport has been celebrated globally since its inception in 2016 and the opportunity to bring the UAH community together through sports and promoting healthy living for everyone was an opportunity we felt strongly about.” Dr. Zaharia hopes this is just the beginning of a more international presence in the UAH Department of Kinesiology and the campus, as a whole. “It is my hope that this is just the beginning of a strong partnership with FISU and that UAH has an opportunity to show the world what an amazing place this is.”
The UAH Athletics program was happy to join the cause as many of the practices of sport teams, including men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s basketball, were open for students to observe.“Student-athletes inspire us, motivate us, and give us all something to celebrate. I am honored that we got to host a day that celebrates them,” said SFM Club President, Jessica Culver.
Also featured were group fitness classes available for the students at the University Fitness Center and the UAH Ability Sport Network (ASN), which offered students across campus the opportunity to participate in and learn the game of Boccia Ball. ASN Director, Dr. David Kyle was thrilled with the chance for adapted sport to be included in the cause. “It was a great opportunity for our Adapted PE students to have a chance to teach an adapted sport to their peers in an inclusive environment.”
Members of the SFM Club hope this is the beginning of an annual tradition at UAH and the celebration of University Sport grows next year. “I think it was a great experinceand I loved the attention it brings to university sports. I hope we can do it again and that other universities can do it and bring some other sports into the spotlight,” said Lauren Gafford of the SFM Club. It is an annual event and the club has already started to brainstorm ideas on what to include next year.
“This was a great opportunity to interact with our campus community, and promote athletics and activity through sports!” touted UAH senior Jacob McCluskey, SFM Club founding member. For the remainder of this year, there are ample opportunities to get involved with the UAH athletics teams as a volunteer or fan, take a class or participate in a rec team at the UFC, or get out and enjoy some disc golf on the UAH course. Also, if you’re interested in helping design more activities like this through the SFM Club, it’s open to all students to participate. Follow them on Instagram @sfmclub_uah or you can contact Jessica Culver via email at jlc0089@uah.edu for more information.
