The Gerald Ratner Athletics Center
On April 9th, 2015, the University of Chicago EAF team took a visit to the Gerald Ratner Athletics Center, home to our Department of Physical Education and Athletics and the site of our May 12th Sports and Society event. Upon entry into the spacious rotunda, which boasts an impressive view of the state-of-the-art aquatic center, we met with Brian Baldea, Associate Chairman and Associate Director of Athletics, who gave us a tour of the Center.
We first saw the Jay Berwanger Conference room, which is named after the very first Heisman trophy award winner in collegiate football. The walk down the corridor showcased the UChicago Athletic Wall-of-Fame and led to the conference room displaying the wide array of trophies for accomplishments by UChicago’s athletes. We were then led into the main competition gym, which is magnificent in size and full of energy. We could all feel the competitive juices flowing! From there, we saw the other activity spaces including the cardio rotunda and dance studio, which host fun classes like zumba, hip hop, and yoga.
University of Chicago Athletics
UChicago’s Department of Physical Education and Athletics encompasses 19 intercollegiate sports, with over 500 athletes and 330 competitions each year. Our sports teams are known as the Maroons, bastioned by our mascot, the Phoenix, the mythical bird featured on the University’s shield. In 2013-14, our student athletes have fostered 2 National Champions, 29 All-American athletes, 37 National Qualifiers, 13 all-region athletes, 128 all-conference athletes, and 4 conference MVPs, all while maintaining UChicago’s notably rigorous academic standards.
In addition to the successful varsity sports teams, the University of Chicago offers club and intramural sports and over 25 free fitness classes each quarter, which provide students with recreational opportunities to help maintain wellness and lifestyle balance.
Women
Women’s athletics at the University of Chicago has a long and distinguished history, beginning in 1898 with the start of the first major competitive program for college women and continuing today with approximately 180 women student-athletes competing in nine varsity sports. The oldest women’s college athletic support organization, the Women’s Athletic Association (WAA) was formed here in 1904. In 1974, the University’s women’s basketball team became the first women’s collegiate team to fly to an away game.
Generally considered the pioneer of women’s collegiate athletics, Gertrude Dudley arrived at the University of Chicago in 1898 as Director of Women’s Athletics and Director of Women’s Gymnasium. One of her successors, Mary Jean Mulvaney, became the first female athletic director of a combined men’s and women’s collegiate athletic program in 1976.
In the current academic year, our women’s teams have won 3 conference championships, qualified 6 teams for NCAA post-season competition, and achieved 32 individual All-American awards with All-American selections yet to be made in Track & Field and Tennis.
Community
Even while balancing rigorous course loads with their busy training schedules, our student athletes still make time to support their community. In 2012-2013, the WAA raised over $4,400 for two local elementary schools during their “Hoops for Hyde Park” event, which contributed to new equipment and physical education programs. The Order of the “C” hosts food and clothing drives annually to donate to the St. Columbanus Food Pantry. Furthermore, as a joint effort, the Order of the “C” and the WAA launched a program to support the local neighborhood by clearing debris, cleaning outdoor playgrounds, creating trenches to prevent flooding, washing walls and windows, and organizing classrooms and gyms.
Overall, UC-Athletics exemplifies the notion that collegiate sports are more than just a game. Sports are inclusive and connect diverse populations through education, community, and competition. To learn more about the intersection of sports and society, we invite you to join us for a discussion on Sports and Society on May 12th at the Ratner Center. The event is co-sponsored by the University of Chicago Environment Agriculture and Food Group, Program on Global Environment, Department of Physical Education and Athletics, Institute of Politics and the Green Economics Group.