It’s September. It’s back to school, meaning less time outside and more time in the library. Surprisingly though, despite UWaterloo’s reputation of heavy studying, there are great athletic programs available to UW students. This will be a quick rundown of what UW Athletics offers.
Firstly, UW has two campus-wide workout gyms, PAC and CIF, as well as a residence gym at REV. The largest is CIF, located opposite the Optometry building and on the other side of Columbia Street, and is highly recommended for those more interested in cardio due to the abundance of machines available. The CIF building also features an ice rink, basketball courts, and a small studio available for classes.
The PAC gym is located in the Physical Activity Complex in the Blue North corner. It is a smaller gym more focused on weight training as it is the main gym for all Waterloo Warriors. PAC also features an open training area called the Warrior Zone, where all students are allowed to use the workout ropes, prowlers, and the open space in general.
UW Athletics also has personal trainer programs, which allow newbies unfamiliar with a gym to feel more confident with some tips, or a veteran gym rat to obtain a new workout. There are also classes available with a shoe-tag for approximately $50 before taxes, ranging from cardio kickboxing to power yoga. Instructional classes are also available to those outside the shoe-tag program for dance (ballet, jazz, Latin, and Indian), skating, swimming, lifting, and more.
Intramurals are available for volleyball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, dodgeball, squash, and even bowling. Students must register by the first week of classes, either online or at the UW Athletics office, located in PAC Red North. Students can either organize a team and register together, or sign up as a single player and later be assigned to a team. Leagues are quick to fill up, so make sure to register early.
Lastly, every week there are several Waterloo Warrior games open to all UW students for free — just bring your WatCard to get in. The University of Waterloo is more known for studying than for its sports, but we do have very impressive hockey, volleyball, and basketball teams who can definitely use the cheering. If you have free time on a Wednesday night or Saturday afternoon, check out the UW Athletics website to see the playing schedule.
