RecWell will offer a plethora of events to students to celebrate NIRSA Rec Day. Graphic by Lily O’Connor.
LILY O’CONNOR | NEWS EDITOR | lkoconnor@butler.edu
The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) will celebrate its 1950 founding on Feb. 22 with its annual Recreational Sports and Fitness Day (Rec Day). Universities across the country will host events and activities to promote health and wellness on its campuses. Butler RecWell is amping up its celebration this year with a partnership with Paradigm by Ajani on Feb. 24.
Paradigm, which is a fitness and wellness ecosystem, will be bringing in instructors to teach group fitness classes, as well as vendors for cold plunges, sports massages and pressed juice.
Bryson Davis-Johnson, the CEO and founder of Paradigm, said that his mission is to connect working professionals with fitness and wellness through community. He believes that this mission closely aligns with BU Be Well’s eight dimensions aimed to help students develop inside and outside of the classroom.
“Butler has adopted eight [dimensions] of health and wellness, whether it be physical, mental [or] social, there’s even a career pillar, so there was some alignment [with my brand],” Davis-Johnson said. “With my expertise and curation, we were able to put together something that should be very, very enjoyable for students.”
This year, RecWell wanted to focus on bringing students to the Health and Recreation Complex (HRC) and showcasing what they have to offer. Paradigm will help highlight group fitness classes and In-Body testing, while sampling other offerings to see what Butler students are interested in.
Archery tag will also be offered, which RecWell hopes to integrate as an intramural sport. The day will end with canoe battleship competitions in the pool.
MBA student Olivia Coy is the HRC’s graduate assistant of marketing and fitness. She said that the activities brought in through Paradigm could become permanent additions to the RecWell offerings, depending on feedback from students, but at the very least shows students what opportunities are available in the community.
“What we’re doing on Rec Day are things that we’re trying to foster on a day-to-day basis,” Coy said. “We think it’s a great way to celebrate the work that we’re doing every single day. Recreation and wellness are so important for the health of our students, but we also want them to have fun. We think this is a great way to hit every single area all in one swoop. We tried to offer something for everybody.”
Davis-Johnson wants students to experience what Indianapolis has to offer and potentially find new ways to take care of their health.
“Indianapolis is in the developing stages in terms of having a fitness and wellness ecosystem the way we see in cities like Orlando, Miami, Houston, Charlotte and the list goes on,” Davis-Johnson said. “I hope it allows them to see that, ‘Wow, there [are] things that I can do, even outside of school, to really tap into.’”
Cayla Czerak, a junior marketing major and an HRC building supervisor, will be setting up for Rec Day. She hopes that the added activities will bring new faces to the HRC.
“I’m very excited to get more people involved in the community at Butler that might not always experience all of the things the HRC has to offer,” Czerak said.
RecWell is optimistic that this year’s Rec Day will be a success due to its partnership with Paradigm to offer brand new health and wellness opportunities for students.
