Anteater Recreation Center

The Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) is an 89,000-square-foot (8,300 m²) indoor gym located at the University of California, Irvine (UCI); the anteater is the mascot of the UC Irvine athletics team. Operated by the Campus Recreation department, the ARC is accessible to UCI students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other university affiliates, including their spouses.^[1]

The facility was designed by Langdon Wilson Architecture.^[2]^[3] It opened in January 2000, replacing older, cramped recreational facilities at the school's older gym, Crawford Hall. Built at a cost of $26 million, it was funded by a student referendum approved in May 1996, when UCI students voted to pay an additional $88 per quarter to fund the center and other athletic and recreational facilities.^[4]^[5] The positive reception for the new center led students at other University of California campuses (such as UCLA) to push for similar improvements in their recreational facilities.^[6]

The facility has been the setting for several Guinness world record events, including a 4,448-participant dodgeball game in 2011^[7] and a 3,875-combatant water pistol fight in 2013.^[8]

Facilities

ARC facilities^[9] include:

The main gym, which features three basketball or volleyball courts or nine badminton courts and utilizes hanging dividers to separate each court
A fitness lab, consisting of state of the art cardiovascular equipment, weight machines, and free-weights, as well as eight flat screen televisions
An indoor jogging track with a clock timer and rubber flooring
A 36’ high rock wall for beginning to advanced climbers
Three glass-enclosed racquetball courts
Five activity rooms for various fitness classes, clinics, and programs
- Physical Forum is the largest activity room and is home to group exercise classes, like Step, Pump N’ Sculpt, Aerobics, and Zumba.
- Sports Studio has matted flooring and can be used for martial arts, wrestling, and stretching
- Activity Annex is the main facility for table tennis, fencing, and instructional dance classes
- Workout Shop is utilized by yoga, kendo, capoeira, and belly dance classes
- Training Zone offers studio cycling, meditation, and yoga classes.
A back court gym, a 7,000-square-foot (650 m²) gym with rounded corners, team dugouts, and inset goals, perfect for floor hockey and indoor soccer
A newly added Wellness Lab, geared towards functional training and featuring a Kinesis Wall and kinesis circuit machines, as well as cardio equipment and free weights and ten flat screen televisions
An aquatics plaza with a lap pool measuring 25 meters in width by 22.86 metres (25 yards) in length
ARC fields, a 25-acre (100,000 m²) outdoor complex, for sports such as softball, soccer, football, rugby, lacrosse, basketball, roller hockey, and tennis
Exercise testing rooms, where various fitness tests, such as "Bod Pods" and "VO2 Submax Tests", are conducted
Massage therapy rooms with fully adjustable beds
A test kitchen and classroom that is used for demonstration and cooking classes
ARC Bar, offering fresh smoothies and light snacks

Services

ARC services^[9] include:

Classes and clinics that follow a non-credit, class format for learning or developing sports
Club sports directed to clubs centered on interest in one sport or fitness activity and involves competition among other collegiate club teams
Intramural sport leagues designed for student, faculty, and staff competition
Team Up and Odyssey High Ropes Course activities
Fitness and wellness programs designed to support participants' physical exercise and health goals
Certified personal training
Kinesis circuit training
Pilates reformer
Exercise testing
Massage
Outdoor adventures, including kayaking and paddle boarding, that provide an opportunity to overcome a psychological or physical challenge or barrier
Sailing
CPR/first aid classes
Gear Up, where ARC participants can check out equipment, including basketballs, racquets, and shower towels

Intramural sports

The ARC offers many intramural sports every quarter (fall, winter, spring, and summer) for all students, staff, and faculty, with an ARC membership, which are divided into leagues and tournaments.
Intramural sports are structured sport leagues and tournaments, which are designed for the everyday athlete. All activities are divided into different divisions of skill and competitiveness.
Fall quarter sports: arena soccer, flag football, volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball, coed basketball, tennis singles, 7 on 7 soccer, dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, and racquetball singles
Winter quarter sports: soccer, floor hockey, coed reverse volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, softball, wrestling, and track
Spring quarter sports: coed indoor soccer, coed volleyball, softball, "Call Your Own" basketball, racquetball singles, swim, bowling, and water polo
Summer quarter sports: softball, 4 on 4 coed volleyball, 3 on 3 basketball, 7 on 7 soccer, and kickball
In order to put in a team for intramural sports, one must pay a fee and make a roster complete with names, ID numbers, and three phone numbers and emails in case of rescheduling conflicts, etc. This can be done at the sales desk on the second floor of the ARC.
League games start in week 3 of the quarter and continue to week 7 or 8.
Playoffs begin in week 8 or 9 until week 10 or whenever necessary to finish the season.
League games take place on weekdays and some Sundays, and tournaments take place on weekdays to some Saturdays and Sundays.
Games are officiated by trained student officials.