Intramural Recreational Sports open during ice storm to provide hot showers
Jack Willems
Issue date: 2/9/09 Section: News
The 2009 ice storm shut down classrooms, roads, offices and electricity, but it did not shut down the HPER. Students and staff came together to man the building and two shelters.
"It has always been our position with campus recreation that if the university decides to close we would stay open if possible," said Craig Edmonston, director of intramural and recreational sports (IMRS).
With the exception of Wednesday, Jan. 28, the HPER was open the entire week, Edmonston said. It has been closed twice in its history: once during this year's ice storm and once a few years ago, he said.
"Many had to leave homes without electricity to make it," Edmonston said. "I live six or seven miles from here, and it took an hour and 30 minutes to get home Thursday."
Numerous people took advantage of the facility not to work out but to get a shower during the ice storm, said Jeremy Battjes, IMRS associate director.
IMRS allowed people who did not have electricity to stay in the building between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and provided towels to those who needed to take showers at the HPER, Battjes said. All parts of the facility were operational, though intramural sports were canceled during the storm, he said.
"We did not want anyone to feel they had to drive here, though we did have group exercise sessions after the ice cleared up a little," Battjes said.
To keep the building open, student employees were urged to come in to work if they could, Edmonston said. IMRS contacted employees and other students through an e-mail list of people on the IMRS Help Team, a group of students working for various causes throughout the region, he said. Several members of the Help Team are employees for IMRS, but others were members of sports teams that Edmonston contacted, he said.
"We didn't want to put pressure on anyone to make them feel like they had to come, especially in that weather," Edmonston said.
Kelsey Gray, a student employee for the HPER, came in to work Tuesday, Jan. 27. The HPER became very busy once the ice storm went through because people had no power and were looking for a place to stay, Gray said.
"It has always been our position with campus recreation that if the university decides to close we would stay open if possible," said Craig Edmonston, director of intramural and recreational sports (IMRS).
With the exception of Wednesday, Jan. 28, the HPER was open the entire week, Edmonston said. It has been closed twice in its history: once during this year's ice storm and once a few years ago, he said.
"Many had to leave homes without electricity to make it," Edmonston said. "I live six or seven miles from here, and it took an hour and 30 minutes to get home Thursday."
Numerous people took advantage of the facility not to work out but to get a shower during the ice storm, said Jeremy Battjes, IMRS associate director.
IMRS allowed people who did not have electricity to stay in the building between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and provided towels to those who needed to take showers at the HPER, Battjes said. All parts of the facility were operational, though intramural sports were canceled during the storm, he said.
"We did not want anyone to feel they had to drive here, though we did have group exercise sessions after the ice cleared up a little," Battjes said.
To keep the building open, student employees were urged to come in to work if they could, Edmonston said. IMRS contacted employees and other students through an e-mail list of people on the IMRS Help Team, a group of students working for various causes throughout the region, he said. Several members of the Help Team are employees for IMRS, but others were members of sports teams that Edmonston contacted, he said.
"We didn't want to put pressure on anyone to make them feel like they had to come, especially in that weather," Edmonston said.
Kelsey Gray, a student employee for the HPER, came in to work Tuesday, Jan. 27. The HPER became very busy once the ice storm went through because people had no power and were looking for a place to stay, Gray said.
Be the first to comment on this story