Assignment 3- Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)

As a team we define leisure as any activity that enables you to free your mind and escape reality while in a stress-free environment. In my opinion all of our agencies to a good degree support this definition. Each agency has set goals that all revolve around helping the community. The goals of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes are to give the student-athletes a place where they can socialize, learn team working skills, and combine both their athletic world and outside world with God. Since the FCA is a non-profit organization like the RFG there funding isn’t from the government or campus, most of it comes from donations and fund raisers. The FCA isn’t designed to make money it’s designed to help the athletes, and people within not only our community but the world as well.

FCA is a place where people can come and learn about God and not only that but enjoy fun activities, socialize, and also help give back to the community. Like Reins for Gains, FCA does a lot of work helping with people who can’t afford certain things, and provides programs to help out parents that need it. From the definition of FCA you may think that it is only for student athletes here at the U of I but this is not true it is really open for anyone to come and enjoy the privileges of this great program. The leaders of FCA are open 24/7 and will help in any way possible if there is a problem. All of the agencies really work in ways to serve the community, religiously, health wise, recreation, disabilities, all of our agencies cover pretty much everything.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes does fulfill its purpose as an organization. It brings not only collegiate athletes together but the community as well. It mixes the hectic college athletes lives with religion to make the perfect combination. One main strength to me is that it is addicting, once you go you’re always going to go. You just have such a great time and enjoy the use of your leisure time its well worth the two hours. Also it brings people together, brings the community together, and it teaches many valuable lessons for students and people to know. I really don’t believe there are many weaknesses if any at all. I feel like all of our organizations bring a lot to our community and fulfill their purposes as well.

Assignment # 3

Campus Recreation(CRCE) by Dion Daniels

ddaniel3

Leisure today has so many meanings and a lot of organizations define leisure and provide leisure in a lot of ways as well. Our definition of leisure however relates to all of the agencies that we visited throughout our research. We as a group believe that leisure is freeing our minds and escaping reality while enjoying a stress free environment. All of our agencies from therapeutic recreation to private membership to campus recreation, etc. provide some types of leisure, if not more than one, to adhere to that definition. CRCE provided people of the Champaign-Urbana community and of the college campus a place where they can burn off stress through activity. If a student was stressed out from classes or If a person was just stressed from work they could go to CRCE and jog, play a variety of sports, or just chillax in the hot tub. Same thing for Illini Union with their rec room. They provide games and activity to relieve stress in a central place on a college campus for students. Reins for Gains provided children with disabilities to come there and let them have fun and help with the stress of being disabled. All of these agencies might be different in the types of recreation they provide, but all share a common way of providing leisure to help cope with stress and a place to have fun.

CRCE’s objective is to provide a place where anyone can come and have fun through form of activity. There funding comes from the people of Champaign-Urbana mainly students and the same goes for the Illini rec room. CRCE does everything for their members and make sure that customer satisfaction is number one priority at all times. While Illini rec room and CRCE are mainly serving students, UCC and Reins for Gains are both non profit organizations that serves two different groups of people as well. UCC serves anyone who is a member of that organization and makes sure that they are satisfied because they get their funding directly from the members just like CRCE does. Reins for Gains serves people with disabilities mainly children so all three of these agencies alone serves a large amount of people in a given community.

I believe that CRCE does in fact stick with their objective and really does make a difference for their members’ lives especially the college students. A lot of students visit CRCE to improve their physical self, relieve stress while having fun, or even go to CRCE for a job to help pay for college expenses. They always look out for their members no matter what and always make their members feel appreciated. Whether young or old, student or non, CRCE is the place to go to help relieve stress. Since everything CRCE does is for the best interest for their members and also because they ask for member input before they make any new additions or modifications, I don’t see any weakness in the way they fulfill their objective. The same goes for the other organizations I discussed. If they stick to doing things strictly for the people and help with making life better for those people, these organizations will always be successful.

Assignment 3

Enrique Teran

Illinois Union Rec Room has provided students and families around the community with the opportunity to have a safe-friendly environment to relieve some stress. Again, as mentioned in previous blogs, the rec room is a leisure service and defined by Mr. Brinkmeyer, manager of the Rec Room, "leisure is a mental preperation and focus to get away from work; anything that takes you away from that 'box'". In speaking with the group about what we believe the definition of "leisure" is, we decided that it is any actvity that enables you to free your mind and escape reality while in a stress-free environment. Given the definition, we concluded that every company we blogged on fits the description.


The Rec Room's objective is to create an environment not only for guests, but more specifically for students attending the University of Illinois. Many students cannot or choose not to enter the bar scene at night, thus needing a place to hang out, even after dark. As mentioned in my previous blog, the Rec Room has a broad range of things to do such as shoot some pool to throwing that strike in bowling. It is sure to adapt to any student's preference in sport.
We see that every leisure service in our group, adapts to a certain community. For example, Jamie's research on Reins for Gains is specifically set as a thereupeutic leisure service. The Urbana Country Club is a private organization where fees help keep the Club up and running. CRCE and the Rec Room are funded by the university which includes funding from the government. In reading your comment in my last post, it is very hard to describe what type of leisure service the Rec Room is due to its unique setting in the University of Illinois. Moreover, being on campus has its strengths and weaknesses. Its strength and heart of the Rec Room is definitely the students. Without them, there is no need for the Rec Room; students make up the majority of business and will continue to do so for the years to come. However, one of the weaknesses I see in the Rec Room is lack of advertising and size. Many students do not step into the Rec Room once due to the belief that it is quite expensive, since typical bowling alleys and pool halls are. Another thing would be lack of size. There are about 40,000 students on campus and there is a clustering of students when the weekend comes.

Being a leisure service whether private, commercial, or non-profit is very hard to run. Coming into the class RST 110, I had not realized how leisure systems worked and how hard it is to keep them from going belly-up. Not only that, but the field has possibilities for employment and a decent wage as well. Many take it for granted but I feel that my fellow group students and I have come away with a different opinion of what a leisure service provides and how it excels in providing it. The Illinois Rec Room focus is the students and they make sure one is aware of it. Every service researched has a specific aim, and from the research provided, it seems that every company is fulfilling its goals. I am currently a business major and all I see in companies is the bottom line of course. This course however showed me how some people need these services to relieve stress or get thereupeutic relief. All and all, the Illinois Rec Room is here to stay and continue to provide excellent services in the community, more specifically the students. For more information about the rec room you can visit them online at http://union.illinois.edu/funspots/recroom/ Thank you for your time.

Assignment 3

Tourism and Hospitality-Carnival Cruise Lines-Davison3

Our group has looked into six different agencies throughout the past month. Although these agencies have their own unique characteristics they all have the same purpose. That purpose is to provide the public with a leisure activity that allows them to relax and escape reality in a stress-free environment. Taking a cruise is a great way to escape from the day to day grind of work. Also, many students relieve stress through working out at facilities like CRCE, and they also relax by doing activities in the Rec Room. Reins for Gains is another great leisure system. It allows children with disabilities to participate in activities that normally wouldn't be available to them. These organizations are very diverse but they are united through one common theme: providing relaxation.

Carnival Cruise Lines' main goal is to make sure they provide a vast amount of activities to interest all of its passengers so they can all have fun. CRCE's main goal is to make sure all of its members are satisfied with their experience and provided with sufficient work out equipment. The Rec Room's objective is to provide a space where students can go to temporarily escape their academics. These agencies objectives are slightly different but for the most part very similar. Regarding funding, each of these agencies have their own style. Carnival Cruise Lines is funded through its customers and own corporation, CRCE is funded through its members, the Rec Room is funded through the university, and Reins for Gains is funded through public contribution. They also each serve different areas of the public. Carnival Cruise Lines serves anyone and everyone, CRCE and the Rec Room mainly serve students and faculty, and Reins for Gains serves those with disabilities.

One of the key elements of Carnival Cruise Lines that makes it so different from these other organizations is its travel aspect. Carnival allows its customers to see parts of the world they have never seen. Carnival also offers double the amount of activities that CRCE and the Rec Room offer. One of the weaknesses of Carnival though is its complaint rate, the more things a company offers the more problems it is going to have. For the most part CRCE, the Rec Room and Reins For Gains are problem free. I think all of these organizations fulfill their purpose in their leisure delivery system. They each have their own specific way of accomplishing their goals and attracting specific demographics but they are all very similar. Carnival Cruise Lines proves they are a viable cog in the leisure machine through their profits. The rest of these organizations prove their viability through customer satisfaction. All Together they make a great leisure delivery system.

Assignment 3

Private membership Recreation-Urbana Country Club (kim203)

UCC is a private membership agency that has its' unique characteristics compared to the other five agencies. Despite each agency having different themes, one goal is common to all; it is to provide a leisure activity that enables us to free our minds and escape reality while enjoying in a stress-free environment. Starting with UCC, people who had a rough day at work are willing to get away from the stressful work environment and come to UCC to play nine holes of golf to finish a day in a high note. Same story for students who had disaster day with quizzes or tests might find CRCE or Rec Room to fight off the stresses. Also children with disabilities are treated unfairly and they are often isolated while participating within the norms. Reins for Gains is perfect place for these children to escape from harsh world and experience stress-free environment just for them. Thus when all of the agencies are combined, everyone has right place just for them and they can get benefits from these leisure delivery systems.

The main objective of UCC is to create a community setting in which members can share their interest of sporting activities or participate in social events. Most of people perceive UCC as just a place for the physical activities as CRCE is intended to. But UCC's purpose of leisure service is so multi-dimensional that it is almost considered as small society where all types of social bonding can happen which is the main strength that sets UCC apart from the other agencies. In terms of how the agencies are funded, all 6 agencies have a distinct way of being funded. UCC is organization that is only funded by annual membership from applicants at minimum, in another words, UCC does not accept daily charges from non-members. But place like CRCE does not require the participants to become a member to use their facility; CRCE both accept annual membership and daily charges. Meanwhile, non-profit organizations such as Reins for Gains and Fellowship of Christian Athletes are both funded by public contribution. Additionally these fees are supplemented by membership fees and daily charges from participations.

Overall UCC does fulfill its' objective by providing various social opportunities through banquets, holiday celebrations, sports tournaments and many more throughout the year. The relationship among the members at UCC is so close that it is almost described as second family for them. In fact, most of the members have shared their interest at UCC for a long period of time which proves UCC more than fulfilling its’ main goal. However there are also negative sides of UCC. It is for the people who just want to use UCC’s recreation services for a single day, or people who are from outside of Urbana. Literally these groups of people find no other ways of using UCC’s facilities other than becoming a member. Moreover, since UCC is a private ownership agency, the strict membership application might be another obstacle for the population that does not fulfill UCC’s requirements.

Assignment #3

Therapeutic Recreation-Reins for Gains-notaro1




Each agency our group visited and gathered information on is designed to serve a particular group of people within the population. They all have similar goals in that they wish to successfully aid those members of society that they are targeting. In the case of Reins for Gains, their goals are to spread the benefits of their organization to as many children as possible that have disabilities. They, like all of the agencies that were researched, also want to improve the lives of the people involved in their programs. Although some agencies within the leisure delivery system receive funding from the government or from fees payed by those who are part of their programs like the Urbana Country Club, Carnival Cruise Lines, or Campus Recreation, most nonprofit organizations like Reins for Gains get their funding from donations. It all depends on whether one of the leisure agency's goals is to make a profit, such as a few of the agencies mentioned above. RFG aims to serve people who may not have the economic capabilities to pay for equine therapy, therefore making a profit is not a priority. There are many different types of therapeutic recreation organizations out there for children with disabilities. However, there are certain aspects through working with horses that can help these children in many ways that other programs cannot.




All the different organizations that make up the leisure delivery system combine to serve any and all members of society. This system can be broken down in to countless groups that target smaller and smaller categories present in society. We can see this even through looking at only the six different agencies within our team. Families looking for leisure activities who are able to spend some of their income can utilize the Urbana Country Club or go on a Carnival Cruise, college students have multiple opportunities within Campus Recreation to fulfill their leisure needs, and children with disabilities can benefit tremendously through RFG. Reins for Gains can be categorized as a Therapeutic Recreation agency, and then can be broken down further into an agency that is specifically trying to help children with mental, physical, and social disabilities. Aside from each agency having a unique group of people that they are hoping to serve, they also each provide different employment and volunteer opportunities. Agencies designed to make a profit will most likely be able to offer higher paying jobs, and will probably have a larger quantity of paying jobs to begin with. However, RFG and other nonprofit agencies also provide employment opportunities, with the added benefit helping out those with disabilities. No matter what type of job a person is looking for, or what group within society they are aiming to help, the leisure service delivery system can offer several different career paths.




Through coming up with our different definitions of leisure and then researching a particular branch within the leisure delivery system, it is easy to see that whatever your personal definition of leisure is, it can be applied to all of the different areas of the system. A common thread throughout our groups definitions of leisure is the concept of freeing your mind and being able to escape from reality in a stress-free environment. Reins for Gains does all of this and more for the children and families that it helps. Many persons without disabilities never experience riding or being in the presence of horses, but RFG allows children with disabilities to do so. While riding a horse, the child may not even think or feel like they are participating in a "therapy" program, they could simply be enjoying an activity which they, along with many other people in society, find fun. Being able to participate in a leisurely activity while also receiving the additional physical and mental benefits, proves that Reins for Gains succeeds in fulfilling many of its goals. It also proves that Reins for Gains is an active and constructive part of the leisure delivery system as a whole.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes: By Pat Walker

Introduction:
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a Non-Profit Organization working with athletes of all ages. Since 1954, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been challenging coaches and athletes on the professional, college, high school, junior high and youth levels to use the powerful medium of athletics to impact the world for Jesus Christ. FCA is located all around the United States and plays a huge role in many people’s lives. FCA is an open place for anyone to come and get in touch with themselves as well as god. FCA in Illinois and mainly here in Champaign is a rising agency that is very much so involved in the community.

Background:
FCA is the largest Christian sports organization in America. FCA focuses on serving local communities by equipping, empowering and encouraging people to make a difference for Christ. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes is the largest Christian campus ministry in the world. It is on more campuses than the next three largest campus ministries combined. In the past year, FCA reached more than 356,250 people on 7,125 campuses and worked with more than 46,000 coaches and athletes at camps across the globe. The numbers for this 54-year-old ministry are staggering. Still, though the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is a mystery to many. Even the late Tom Landry, legendary Dallas Cowboys’ coach and lifetime trustee of FCA, used to call FCA “America’s best-kept secret.” Most people have at least heard of it, but some of them can’t really say for sure what FCA is all about. FCA’s purpose, at its absolute core, is to combine people’s passion for sports with their passion for Christ, and teach them that those two worlds don’t have to be separate. FCA wants to give meaning to the athletic nature that all of us are born with and use it for something that stretches beyond sports.

Eric Terrazas FCA leader waving durring the FCA golf outing.

Employment Opportunities:

FCA has over 800 employees nationwide. Of these, over 600 serve in the field ministering to athletes and coaches in communities across America. The Field ministering position is responsible for growing the influence of FCA in an assigned area through prayer, and by staffing the schools with huddle coaches. This position is responsible for evangelizing, training, equipping, and encouraging coaches and athletes. The Field Associates ensures the effectiveness and longevity of FCA through supporting the camping ministry. Other from the field, and the business end of FCA there are other contributors to this non-profit organization like sponsors such as Russell Athletic, Advocare and many more.

Current Trends and Issues:
A main trend on our campus today is the weekly huddles on Wednesday nights. On any given Wednesday you will see anywhere between 30-50 of the U of I’s top athletes joining together in talks, games, worship, and even enjoying snacks. This seems to have been the big thing here for a while.
One of the main issues or concerns is to keep FCA growing and expanding all over the world. This is a day to day process and is necessary for the organization. The more people involved the better the organization becomes. That’s why the main priority is to expand the programs we already have from camps to campus to community to community.

FCA: Members getting ready for the social!

Meaning of Leisure in the FCA

FCA is a place for athletes to go and relax, socialize, communicate, work on skills, meet people and become more in touch with God. There are all kinds of social gatherings and activities in place every week for kids to further better themselves in the community. I have recently attended a few Wednesday night huddles and to me there is no better place to enjoy your leisure time then here.

FCA: Huddle, regular meeting

Summary:
After visiting a few FCA meetings here on campus I have learned a lot about this organization and met many new people. This organization has many positives, it combines sports and god in the same world and this makes an awesome combination. Leaders in this organization are very helpful to all and are always around if you need someone to talk to, help you with something, or just to hangout with. I think one of the most important things is not only the relationship you have with god but the people you meet as well. On the negative side this is a non-profit organization meaning working for the FCA does not mean making tons of money. But all and all this is an awesome organization, not only working in Champaign, but all over the world as well.

Assignment 2

Urbana Country Club(UCC)-Private membership Organization By Sungwon Kim (kim203)

Introduction

Urbana Country club(UCC) is a private membership organization that has been established in 1922. This historic country club provides various types of leisure activities such as dining, sports, and different types of social events. Its' intimate atmosphere and premier service gives members a relaxing time. UCC is beyond the place for an individual activities. It's the place where social bonding happens through banquets, holiday events, and host-catered events such as the weddings. The members of UCC has been passing its cultures from generations to generations and now serves over 500 members ages ranging from 20's to the 90's.

Background

Urbana country Club is a private club and they have a limited membership. It is a exclusive organization so that they only accept limited number of memberships. And their memberships are processed by annual subscription. Most of the country clubs in US including UCC are mainly located in suburban or rural ares surrounding a traditional neighborhood. Originally UCC was first founded in 1922, however the club has to wait until 1940 to become officially in membership system under the leadership of presidents Frank Terry, T.E Larson and particularly Fred Corray. The club mainly provides two aspects of activities:Outdoor Recreation and Clubhouse activities.
Outdoor Recreation activities include golf, swimming ,and tennis. Members not only can enjoy these activities themselves but UCC have professionals in each areas who can give exclusive lessons to improve their skills. On the other hand, clubhouse activities are filled with musical entertainment, pool parties, holiday celebration and many more, providing welcoming environment where all the members can blend comfortably in a home like setting.


Employment

Employment opportunities in UCC are divided into various parts. Considering different aspects of leisure services they provide, they hire employees from collecting golf balls in driving range to servers in the restaurant. To get a foot in the door to start off, employees are expected to work mainly behind the scenes such as maintaining facilities at a fine level. UCC does not look for specific requirement for these types of jobs. These positions include golf course maintenance, arranging golf carts, clubhouse cleanings, servers and bartenders. Next tier of positions include golf&tennis pro, lifeguard, clubhouse manager, and chief in the restaurant. The staff positions in this area require specific degree of education, certificates or even a professional experiences for tennis and golf. Moving into the highest authority in organization, the board of directors are in charge UCC's whole decision-making. Board of directors starts with the president of UCC to committees in each parts. To become a board of director, they must be elected by the owner of the organization. It takes number of years to become board of directors
with the promotion. In addition to higher education degrees and various experiences in their own fields, they have to show commitment to the organization.



Current issues and trends

Tennis and golf had been most popular sport activities during last couple of months. UCC has been hosting Summer Serve Club which is three weeks program. Serve club teaches all participants how to serve efficiently and basic techniques of tennis. In addition to lessons of tennis, Serve club provides variety of tennis events such as power/accuracy serve competition, individual match challenges, and mixed doubles parties. Winners from each competitions receive medals ranging from gold to bronze. The participants are varied from children to seniors and reported that they all had such a memorably experiences.

Golf always has been one of the popular fall sports and now it's reaching the peak in terms of popularity. Considering that golf is limited season activity, UCC members are pouring into the fields to get the last taste of golfing season. In fact this time of years attracts more golfers than any other months of season. Usually during September, UCC hosts club championships for both men and women. The club championships are basically biggest golf tournaments for the club during the season, and it means to wrap up the season successfully with a great expectations for the next season.


Meaning of leisure in UCC

As I mentioned at the introduction part, UCC is place where social bonding happens. It is almost characterized as a small society where people can share sports interests, celebrate on holidays, or just socialize with people by dining together. UCC is always trying to provide family-type of atmosphere toward the members. They have several events and programs that can bring people together such as kid's pool party, banquets, and variety of sporting events. If you are a new member of UCC, then the membership committee will introduce you to the rest of club members and you can experience sense of belonging right away. Moreover UCC offers weekly emails and montly newsletters to let members know about upcomming events, and they also provide news for the members' special accomplishment and celebrations.


Synopsis

After visiting UCC personally, I felt that the country club is more of a community based organization than an individual based facility. Members of UCC get great benefit from various social services. It's also excellent place for family members to spend quality times regardless of generation difference. However, in addition to the membership fees, UCC demands addtional requirements form the applicants, including residency requirement, sponsorship, and connection within the current members. People from foreign countries might not be approved for being a member because of residency requirement. Another cons of this private organization is that this facility has a limited access within the members. For instance, golfers are only allowed to play certain round of golf in a year in consideration of crowding conditions.

Assignment #2- Theraputic Recreation

Jamie Notaro- notaro1


Reins for Gains

Introduction:

The therapeutic recreation agency I decided to research is an equine therapy program called Reins for Gains. The agency operates in three different states, Illinois, Indiana, and North Carolina, with its headquarters here in Illinois. I used to ride at one of the stables that participates in the Reins for Gains program and have been able to see a little bit of how it works through spending time there, which is part of the reason why I chose this particular agency.

Background Information:

Reins for Gains was founded in Illinois by Ellen Brichetto. Her love for horses and desire to help children inspired her to start this agency. The mission of the agency is to improve the lives of physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and economically disadvantaged children through scholarships and theraputic riding programs. RFG does this while also hoping to spark a passion for horses, help children gain independence and self confidence, and develop athletic and practical skills, that may otherwise not be developed, through equine therapy.

Employment Opportunities:


Although Reins for Gains is a nonprofit organization, there are many different employment opportunities. There is a management staff, consisting of an executive director, a director of buisness development, and a director of resource development. There is also a board of associates and an advisory board. Reins for Gains has many corporate sponsors and partners such as the NFL Alumni, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Chicago Cubs, the Sea Pines Resort, and several others.

Aside from those who are involved with the business end of RFG, there are other ways to be a part of and help the agency. Although some equine therapy programs are partially covered by health insurance, donations are always needed to remove economic barriers for certain families. Finally, volunteers to help with the theraputic riding programs, whether it be instructing the class, or leading a horse around the arena, are imperative to the success of the organization.

Current Trends and Issues:

As I mentioned earlier, a current issue and what will probably always be an issue, is money. Although equine therapy is becoming increasingly popular, providing sufficient funding for it can be difficult. Many families who have children that could benefit from this type of therapy, need to spend much of their income on medical bills. Because they don't have the extra money to spend on equine therapy, their children are missing out on the positive results that it would provide.

Equine therapy itself is becoming a large trend for children with many different disabilities. Organizations like Reins for Gains help to make this kind of therapy more accessible to a larger number of families.

Main Benefits and Leisure Definition:

Reins for Gains defines leisure as a process in which a child can gain independence, self confidence, and learn a variety of skills like loyalty, courage, hard work, and determination. RFG believes horses can do all this and more. Equine therapy has been proven to improve balance, muscle tone and strength, critical thinking and problem solving, attention, responsibility, trust, and social skills.

Summary:

Working for an agency like Reins for Gains has many benefits, but there are downsides as well. Obviously, helping out children with disabilities is an extremely satisfying experience, and if you have a love for horses, volunteering could be a great way to help out. If you were looking for a full time job on the buisness side of RFG, being a nonprofit organization, it would probably not be the highest paying job. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for full time employment, wheter it be organizing fund raising events, dealing with corporate partners and sponsors, or managing the program at the various facilities that it is run through. This agency provides an important service through therapeutic recreation and helps to improve the lives of children with disabilities in a tremendous way.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Introduction:



The agency I have chosen is Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival originated in 1972 and is currently headquartered in Miami. This agency was founded by Ted Arison after he separated from Norwegian Cruise lines which he also co-founded with Knut Kluster. Arison's goal was to make it possible for the average person to enjoy the luxury of a cruise vacation. In the beginning Carnival's trademark was offering shorter, less expensive cruises, but now they offer cruises from a wide range of durations and price.

Background:

Based on passengers carried it is the largest cruise line in the world. Financially, it's also the largest and most prosperous cruise line of them all. The carnival ship fleet contains 22 boats that sail to various locations around the world. Carnival employs close to 40,000 people from countries all over the globe. It was also the first cruise line to use television for marketing/advertisement purposes.

Job Opportunities:

There are an extreme amount of job opportunities in the cruise industry. Like I said previously Carnival alone contains 40,000 employees so throughout the entire cruise industry opportunities are vast. You can be anything from a captain (not right away of course) to a cleaner. Cruises are always hiring and looking for new personnel. Therefore many entry-level positions are always available regardless of your previous employment experience.








Trends and Issues:

For the past few years the trend within the cruise industry has been to put the costumers' focus on the ship itself rather than where the ship docks. So just recently cruises have tried to change that concept by shifting it in the opposite direction, some cruises now stop at a different port every day. Also many ships are migrating to the west coast just to change things up a bit.

Furthermore upgrading old ships can be considered a trend and an issue because it's costly now but in the long run it is a big profit. Also many cruise lines are utilizing entertainment to appeal to older people because a convincing amount of cruise takers are senior citizens. Some of the issues within the cruise industry include pollution and pirates and of course the common complaints about price or loss of luggage.


Definition of Leisure:


I believe Carnival's definition of leisure is providing its costumers with a balance of relaxation and fun activities on a luxurious ship at a reasonable price. The main benefit that Carnival provides is a fun, unique escape away from the redundancy of everyday life. If you have not enjoyed the wonderful experience of being on a cruise you are missing out on some great leisure.


Synopsis:

There are many pros and cons to working in the cruise line industry. One of the many pros in working on a cruise is not only do you get a salary, but also the cruise line pays for everything: your food, housing and even plane tickets to and from your home. It's also a great job for people who love to travel. Cruise employment is additionally great for bachelors and bachelorettes who don't have to support a family because it is a fun, adventurous lifestyle that requires a lot of time being away from home. Although being away from home may be viewed as a con to some, others enjoy some time away. Furthermore you have to remember that not every single job is going to be glamorous or pay extremely well. The cruise line industry would fall under the tourism and hospitality category of leisure systems. This industry is successful for obvious reasons, its one of the few leisure delivery systems that provides its costumers with multiple relaxation venues and many fun activities to participate in all while being catered to. And in my opinion it's one of the best ways to experience leisure.

Campus Recreation at UIUC

By: Dion Daniels

Campus Recreation on the UIUC campus has a slogan that says "Campus Recreation: A Place For Everyone." This was a place where somebody could come in their leisure time and have fun through forms of activity. I took their slogan as basically meaning that this was a place where anybody could do almost whatever they wanted. I say that because that's the feeling that I got when I went to one of their campus rec facilities on campus. I went to Campus Recreation Center East, also known as CRCE by many of the students and other people in the community. CRCE is open to the public whether they be students of the University of just somebody living in the Champaign-Urbana community. During my visit to this facility I did a study on some of the programs that they offered to people for a form of leisure. They offer programs such as aquatics, club sports, Intramural activities, and personal training.

Employment:

When I first entered CRCE, I saw that there was an employee at the entrance of the facility swiping cards to verify if a person had a membership or not. I asked them if they had any employment brochures that I could look over for a leisure project that I was conducting and she recommended me to talk to the manager on duty. I went over to the manager and I told her about my project and she told me she could give me some information but couldn't let me take a picture of her because of a policy

they had. After she gave me some information I just walked around myself and took a couple pictures of the lower employees and a poster I saw. The manager told me that most students, if they wanted to apply for a job, applied online and started off as facility managers normally. Other than this she told me that Campus Recreation had internships, graduate assistantships, and professional positions a person could apply for as well.

Aquatics:

One of the first features of CRCE that you see once you walk in is the aquatic center. T

his area was closed but the manager told me that the aquatic center is open during certain hours to people who wanted to just have plain fun or attend certain classes they had available. She told me that they offer swim lessons for babies, youth, and adults

and always have a lifeguard on duty to insure safety for swimmers at all times. Next to the pool was a hot tub where people could come relax after a long day or a long workout. Connected to the pool was also a water slide and in the pool was a small basketball rim. They have volleyball and water polo activities in the pool for people who were interested in playing sports while swimming. After swimming they have men and women locker rooms with showers and a changing area for people so they won't have to go home wet.

Club Sports:

Next in CRCE there was an area that the manager told me was used for basketball, soccer, yoga, and hockey which all could be played on one court. They held games

and practices here for soccer leagues and hockey teams. If you ever wanted to play any of these sports just for leisure, this is the area you could go to and they could provide you with rental equipment. A couple times a week they hold large yoga classes in this area and other days they have small pick up games for the above sports also. Even though

most people come for the above activities, the manager also informed me that students and other people also come to this area to play rugby, football, and racquetball. They have other multipurpose areas next to this one to serve as an overflow just in case this one gets overcrowded. Those extra rooms could hold one sport activity at a time. So as you can see these multipurpose rooms could be used by plenty of people with different interests and different ways they want to spend their leisure time.

Intramural Activities:

The manager told me on our way to the main court that this was area where they

held open court and Intramural games. She told me that Intramural Activities was really the foundation of Campus Rec so the games they held here were really a big deal. They have certifi

ed referees in the area at game time to officiate and also have scorekeepers to keep up with statistics. Every spring, CRCE hold intramural basketball games in this area as well as some

volleyball games. At other facilities besides CRCE such as the ARC they also host golf, softball, flag football, soccer, kickball, racquetball, and volleyball Intramural games. If people wanted to take part in these activities there is an application process they would have to go through because there are only so many spots. She to

ld me Intramurals was most popular to the students and shows that even though these activities may seem very organized they still come out and have fun in their leisure time.

Personal Training:

The last area I checked out at CRCE was the workout area they had upstairs. From seeing this area I could tell why UIUC Campus Rec was one of the best in the country. They had a numerous amount of workout machines that helps people workout every muscle in the body one could think of. They had a whole area for free weights and bench press machines where a lot of people were and was probably the most popular spot. They had over 20 treadmills on this floor for people who wanted to do cardio workouts with televisions above about half of them. Surrounding all of the workout area was a huge track that was a couple miles long for people to jog, run, or just walk and relax. Campus Rec offers personal training to people who wanted to enhance their strength or just to get a good workout strategy going. I talked to one of the personal trainers on duty and he told me that he gives the trainee a specific diet to stick to and a workout plan designed just for the person.

Synopsis:

Campus Recreation gives students a chance to have leisure time through activity and also gives people opportunities to get a job and grown within the organization of Campus Recreation. From the number of people I saw inside of CRCE I could tell that working out or exercise in any form is a big form of leisure on the UIUC campus. Campus Recreation makes doing multiple activities fun instead of tedious, boring and tiring. The programs I detailed above are really only a fraction of the things that Campus Recreation has to offer students and people in the community. Campus Recreation is just not a workout facility you could go there and have fun in the pool area, play games in the numerous multi-purpose rooms, or just relax and watch TV in the lounge area that they have. It is very good to have alternate forms of leisure for college students especially that keeps them active because the first thing they want to do in their free time is waste energy. Campus Recreation helps take that energy that they waste and make them learn new sports and activities they will make them better off in life. If students on the UIUC campus have not checked out Campus Recreation and it's facilities like CRCE yet, then they could be missing out on the best experience they could have on a college campus.

The Illini Rec Room

By: Enrique Teran

As we walk out of a bar into oblivion, we wake up the next morning wanting to have more fun. However, we ponder the question, where can I go with my leisure time during the day to get away from the stress of having a quiz that day or trying to comprehend your foreign T.A.? There is a convenient spot right in the heart of campus called the Illini Rec Room.
Now, it seems that we all pass the Rec Room coming in and out of the Illini Union without actually stepping into the room and exploring the leisure services they offer. Established in 1961, the Rec Room began only as a bowling alley for students to enjoy during their leisure time. As the years went on, they began to expand the Rec Room into more than just a bowling alley. In the past 5 years, the Rec Room went in a $50,000 renovation into moving in the billiards table; provide a concession stand, arcade, and video games. In order to have room for all these amenities, they had to remove 6 bowling lanes. From T.V.’s, trivia, couches, bowling, billiards, arcades, and concession stand, there is something for everyone at the Illini Rec Room.
Speaking with one of the managers, Mr. Brinkmeyer, he was able to discuss with me what the Rec Room’s main focal point, which is the students of the U of I. He has been at the Illini Rec Room since February and since he sees changes in the room every month. He was in the liquor and golf industries before transferring into leisure services. He mentioned how being attached to the University gives the Rec Room a different focus than most leisure services. The Illini Rec Room caters to the needs of students under the age of 21individuals not in the University.
Mr. Brinkmeyer continued the interview by discussing how the Rec Room meets individual’s needs by accommodating the services offer to the individual. For example, the first 6 lanes have bumpers, designed for students requesting bumpers and for the handicapped. The T.V.’s also accommodate the majority of students. A lot of the U of I’s students are international students and soccer being the sport with the largest fan base in the world, GOL TV is on the televisions at the Rec Room.
Many students might be interested in working at the Rec Room, so I asked him about employment opportunities in the Rec Room and he commented that to apply, one must apply with the Illini Union. If your schedule meets the slot they need help in, an interview is made. Once there for 6 months, 15 hrs a week, one can move up from just an attendant to overseeing the Rec Room. They even offer a grad student internship in the spring.
Now that I have described the services the Illini Rec Room offers, many believe that it can get quite expensive. However, this is not the case. With your Illini Card, one can play an hour of billiards for $5.60, bowl a game for $3.30, and have fun on the arcade for dollars. They are even open late to accommodate those students who finish their homework and looking for something to do at night.
I finished my interview by asking Mr. Brinkmeyer what the word leisure means to him. His response was, “Leisure is mental preparation and focus to get away from work; anything that takes you away from that ‘box’”. After visiting this facility, I am impressed with the way it was managed and how there is always room to better the facility. I believe working there would be fun because you are offering students the opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves. However, one of the big issues the advancement opportunities in the facility. There is a ceiling that once you top that ceiling, you can’t advance further in the facility. Only good thing is having that experience can land you a job with bigger responsibilities and more commitment. The agency definitely fits the description of a leisure service. The name says it all; being able to get away from school work to have fun in a safe environment. The services it offers really fits the description of getting away from it all, without resorting to the dangers of alcohol and bars. I know that speaking and understanding more about the Illini Rec Room really makes me admire it and realize that the cost of being there for an hour is a lot cheaper than going to a bar for an hour.

LEISURE= FUN!

By: Enrique Teran

When one thinks of free time or playing video games, the word leisure doesn't appear in one's vocabulary. When I was sitting on that couch scoring the winning touchdown in Madden 10, many people called me lazy, or asked, "Don't you have homework to do or something else better to do with your time?" I replied by saying "This is my leisure time in the day". Being able to take time out of my busy schedule and play Madden 10 has made me realized that I have leisure time every day without thinking about it. I plan my schedule accordingly in order to play video games at least once a day.

To me, the word leisure means the time I plan to have to myself to get away from the reality of work and school and enjoy myself with whatever I choose to do so.

BY: Pat Walker
This is a picture of some guy out on the lake enjoying his leisure time by fishing. Fishing is one of today's most popular recreational activities. Fishing also represents one of the easiest activities to adapt to people's individual needs. To some people it is boring and not fun at all, but to me where my whole life is structured and organized for me basically fishing is my one time to get away on my free time and just relax. Leisure too me is really just time away from work, school, family, etc, time for people to step away from rules, guidelines, and most responsibilities. To me fishing is my way of getting away.

Leisure....Leisure....What is Leisure??

By: Dion Daniels

This is a picture that depicts what leisure is to me. In this picture I am on the quad at U of I relaxing in the grass area doing homework. I love to come to the quad and just sit out and relax if I had a long day. Most of the time I don't do homework but on this particular day I was swamped with work. I love to feel the light breeze across my face and hear all the sounds of nature around me. It keeps me calm and helps me relieve all the stress that have inside of me. I am the type of person that loves to relax in my free time so this picture is a perfect indication of what leisure is to me.

My definition of leisure is the time that you have after any work or school. Leisure is doing anything that you want in that free time. Whether that leisure is laying in the bed doing nothing or jogging around the block. I am a big believer in Aristotle's theory that Leisure is a "state of being". No matter what a person wants to do in their leisure time, If that activity is pleasing to them then it is still leisure.