The Kirkwood Community College Rec Center is a premier fitness and wellness facility and one of the pillars of the Student Life Program at the college. As the 2025 spring semester comes to a close, Recreation Services Supervisor Brett Baumgart looked back over the 2024-25 academic year and talked about what students and staff can look forward to in the fall.
The “Rec” was open for 90 hours a week, giving patrons ample opportunity to utilize the facility. Approximately 65,000–70,000 credit students, staff and retirees visited the Rec during the school year to work out, enjoy the various events or just hang out.
In addition to recreational use of facility basketball courts, the cardio and strength area and the aerobics room, the Rec held 400 fitness classes. The classes include Body Fit, Circuit Blast, Yoga and Women’s Weight Room Fundamentals.
The Rec also offered a 10-week “Just for the health of it” wellness challenge program that began back in January. Participants in the challenge could earn a shirt and a water bottle through the accumulation of “miles” which were calculated based on their activities. For example, a 45-minute fitness class could earn a participant three miles.
The recreation, fitness and wellness programs were all available without a fee, which Baumgart said is a critical benefit to those who study and work at the college. “Many of our patrons are attempting to balance academic life with jobs and family responsibilities,” he explained. “That effort can be stressful, and the Rec Center provides a healthy and supportive way to reduce stress and improve their mental health.”
The Rec Center also hosted several events, including the popular Rockin’ at the Rec party during Welcome Week at the beginning of the new academic year. At that event, food, games and a free t-shirt encouraged new students to discover the facility while also giving them an opportunity to meet new friends. Another big event was February’s Dance Marathon, which raised over $25,000 for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
The Rec also managed a series of free weekly off-campus events such as mini golf and range balls at the Airport National Public Golf course, ice skating at the ImOn Ice Arena, and bowling at May City Bowl. There are roller-skating events on select Sundays at Super Skate.
Baumgart reported that over 1,400 individuals participated in a total of 70 events through the academic year. “The off-campus events originated during the restrictions arising from COVID pandemic,” he explained, “but we kept them going because they’ve been so popular.”
Then there are the intramural programs. The Rec offered 40 different intramural programs, including Spikeball, bubble soccer and laser tag tournaments. The most popular intramural programs drew significant participation. For example, flag football had 14 teams (140 participants), while basketball fielded 12 teams (100 participants) and co-ed volleyball 8 teams (60 participants). Indoor spring pickle ball was a new addition to the intramural schedule.
It was one of our best one-day events, Baumgart noted, with 15 singles participants and 14 doubles. The event was so successful that he’s planning to add outdoor pickle ball on the outdoor tennis courts to the Rec’s fall intramural schedule
Baumgart said that Rec Center staff visit other schools in the off-season to make sure they are offering patrons the best experience. “It’s also a good reminder that what we have here is unreal,” he added with obvious pride. But he and the rest of the Student Services staff don’t plan to grow complacent. “We can’t compete with the large universities, but we want to stay on top of the smaller schools.”
A visit to Creighton, a private Jesuit university in Omaha, Neb. resulted in a decision to replace the Rec Center’s older strength training equipment. “We’ll have brand new circuit machines in the fall,” Baumgart revealed, “including a pec deck, which many students have been requesting.”
He urges students to make their wishes for the Rec Center known to the staff. He added that he may not be able to get to those wishes right away, but as the number of requests build, he’s able to prioritize and act on them.
For new students and staff, Baumgart reminded everyone that it’s important to keep an eye on the Kirkwood events calendar (Kirkwood.edu/events) and to follow the Rec Center app (available to download from the Apple and Google stores)
“We have lot of fun and rewarding activities on and off campus planned for the coming year,” he said, “and the calendar and app will help make sure students and staff don’t miss their favorites fitness classes and events.”
Categories: Sports
