Ashland University’s Recreation Services has some new changes and activities, Janel Molnar, director of recreational services, said. According to many students, the most exciting new change is the Outdoor Store, which allows AU students and Rec Center members to check out camping equipment for free.

“I think it’s really cool,” Emily Day, a junior and frequent student visitor of the Rec Center, said. Day is not the only student excited.

“There have been a ton of rentals,” Patrick Edwards, assistant director of facilities and student development, said, “at least one rental every weekend.”

The Outdoor Store is located behind the rock climbing wall and has the same hours as the Rec Center. Most items needed for camping, including tents, backpacks and sleeping bags are available. If items are returned in the same condition as they were rented, they are free.

Students are encouraged to sign up two weeks prior to their desired camping time, to ensure that the equipment they need is available.

“I would love to try it sometime,” Evan Frank, a junior football player, said.

“The store has been very successful,” Edwards said.

“Students and faculty seem to enjoy the fact [that] they can rent out all of their camping supplies for free.”

As part of the new intramural activities, Capture the Flag will be held Saturday, Oct. 23 at the Schar College of Nursing Mansfield Campus apartments to help bring new nursing students into the AU family. The registration deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 5 p.m.

Ultimate Frisbee will be played indoors this year on the main campus and water polo will now be played with inner tubes, where an athlete must stick his/her rear-end into the tube and swim around instead of using lifejackets.

The Spring Softball League has now been turned from a league into a tournament, with only minor changes.

Two new sports clubs will be making their debut. The Schar College of Nursing will have a co-ed soccer club and women’s lacrosse will be brought to Ashland’s main campus. Two clubs that are in the works and will hopefully be developed soon are a prospective men’s volleyball club and a gymnastics club, as stated in a 2010-2011 programs packet by the Department of Recreational Services.

Group Fitness has now been renamed Group Exercise and will be nicknamed Group X. There will be many X-Factor classes and the Schar College of Nursing programs will include Pilates, which started Sept. 16, and body crunch classes, which start Thursday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m.

The golf simulator in the Rec Center has had many renovations, including new golf tees and additional courses, including Pebble Beach.

Complete with a new intramural logo displaying an eagle head, the Rec Center has plenty to check out and a lot of new and exciting opportunities to offer.

However, a student or Rec Center member can only enjoy these new opportunities during the new hours of operation, which have been reduced by thirty minutes.