Waterville, Maine - While recreation opportunities have existed at the College for almost a century and a half, the Colby Recreation Department was officially formed in 2020 as a partner to Colby Athletics, with the broad scope overseeing recreation, intramural, and club sports. Extended to all students campus-wide, Colby Recreation strives to eradicate intimidation from active environments, foster a judgment-free community, entice newcomers, and amplify the participation of all people in recreational activities. At Colby, female students make up the majority of club sport participants.
"The recreation department has allowed me to step into a leadership role and have a positive influence on my peers," said junior Adaobi Nebuwa. Nebuwa is a varsity athlete on the Women's Basketball team, and has also found a home as a student-manager of the recreation office. "After just two years, the Recreation Department has grown in tremendous ways, uplifting and empowering all students through opportunity and engagement."
While Colby and other federally funded institutions across the United States make every effort to create opportunities for all members of its community, that wasn't always the case…
For a long time, women weren't allowed to play organized sports. One common fear was the potential for reproductive complications, while others shied away because sports and physical activity were thought to be too masculine. Approaching the 20th century, American society started to accept women's participation in intramural, club, and physical education programs and acknowledged the benefits, with Colby serving as a pioneer.
In 1880, the College allowed its women to pick up a croquet mallet, thus marking the first organized sport at Colby for women. The first intramural basketball games were played in both the men's and women's divisions in 1896, just five years after the game was introduced at Springfield College. Shortly thereafter, Margaret Koch was hired as the first ever instructor for the women's physical education program, where programs included field hockey, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and archery.
As the middle of the 20th century approached, more organization of these opportunities started to take shape around the country. The National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) formed in 1950 by a group of college intramural directors, represented by both male and female members. Within a decade, the female constituents were excluded by a 1959 association vote to eliminate women from membership. It can only be speculated that many of the reasons separating the genders in the first place came back into play. It took 12 years before the passage of a constitutional revision accepted women back into the organization (1971). Colby is currently among the growing number of institutions who improve the world through collegiate recreation daily.
Colby is proud of the opportunities afforded to women on campus through recreation, throughout its history, but even more proud of the work that continues to be done amplifying the participation of all.
