The goal of the Recreational Sports program is to inspire growth of the mind, body, and spirit through fitness, community, and fair play.
Recreational Sports provides every individual associated with the UCSB community the opportunity to expand their horizons through recreation. Recreational Sports enhances their quality of life through the constructive use of leisure time.
We strive to provide a positive experience whether one chooses Recreational Sports for fun, fitness, friendship, or all of the above. It is our hope that your involvement with Recreational Sports will lead to an appreciation of the following goals:
* A lifetime appreciation of and involvement in physical fitness
* Quality use of leisure time
* Appreciation of diversity
* Development of ethical behavior and personal integrity
* Development of the mind, body, and spirit
UCSB Recreational Sports is comprised of Intramurals, Sport Clubs, Adventure Programs and Open Recreation.
We also administer the UCSB Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF) (aka the Jack Canfield
Chicken Soup for the Soul Fund) which exists to assist UCSB students with medically
related emergencies. Please click here for more information regarding SMERF.
Please visit GauchosPlay.com for more information.
Spirit of Competition
Sports activities find their origin in the basic human need for the spirit to play. Winning and losing are merely outcomes of this play spirit. Abusive language toward officials, other participants and manipulations of the rules are not "part of the game." What is part of the game is pure satisfaction of participation (fun, fitness, friendship, stress release, etc.) Without your opponent, there is no game, no competition and no fun. You are indebted to each other. The Spirit of play, then, is based on cooperation.
High standards of integrity and fair play uphold this idea of cooperative competition. All players are encouraged to exercise good judgment in caring for the safety of others, as well as themselves. Within the University of California, an intentional violation of the rules is considered cheating and disrespectful to the Spirit of Competition. The goal of lifetime involvement in sports may have more meaning than that of a win or a loss, the memory of which often fades quickly. All players are asked to participate within the context of this Spirit of Competition.