Introduction
The MIT athletic programs stress participation and enjoyment rather than the specialized honing of selected intercollegiate teams. Nevertheless, participants and coaches tend to be very dedicated, resulting in excellent teams. All members of the MIT community are welcome to use the athletic facilities and to receive trained assistance in developing their full potential. The programs offered include intercollegiate and intramural sports, physical education classes, private and group instruction in various sports, and recreational facilities of exceptionally high quality. See Services for Children in the Facilities chapter for athletic facilities for children.
Who's Who in Athletics
Athletic Department (W32-109, x3-4498)
Richard Hill (W32-105, x3-4497), Director of Athletics, is responsible for overseeing MIT's intercollegiate, intramural, and club sports programs. He and his staff will be the people to talk to if you want to form a new team.
Walter Alessi (W32-121, x8-5782) is the Supervisor of Intramurals, and the soccer and lacrosse coach.
(W32-004, x8-6199) is the desk and phone number of the Equipment Manager. He works at DuPont desk. He can make life rough on teams or individuals who don't return equipment on time. He can also make life easier if you're nice, so smile.
Kathy Davis (W31-120, x3-4908) is the coordinator of Sports Medicine.
Athletic Facilities
Use of MIT athletic facilities is open to any member of the MIT community who has purchased an athletic card. At $20 for students, $105 for faculty and staff, and $210 for alumni, the card is one of the best bargains in the Boston area. Athletic cards entitle the holder and his immediate family ($20 extra for students, $50 extra for faculty/staff, and $75 extra for alumni) to virtually unlimited use of all athletic facilities except the sailing pavilion. Card holders may even bring guests ($1 for students, $2 for others). Cards may be purchased at the DuPont Athletic Center or the Alumni Swimming Pool. All MIT facilities are coordinated from DuPont (W32-121, x3-4916). Unless reserved for intercollegiate or intramural use, all facilities are open to athletic card holders on a regular basis. Note: Possession of a small craft card is required for use of the sailing pavilion and crew boathouse facilities. For schedules, contact the individual facilities.
Howard Johnson Athletic Center which opened in 1981, has a hockey rink on the first floor and a field house on the second floor. The field house has a track with tennis and basketball courts in the infield.
DuPont Athletic Center has several facilities including squash courts, a workout room, an exercise room (including high and parallel bars, a judo mat, and a horizontal ladder), a fencing room, a wrestling room, a large gymnasium (which is used for everything from final exams to basketball), a 31 firing-point shooting range (rifle and pistol), lockers, showers, sauna facilities, and various smaller rooms. For information on any aspect of the Center, call x3-4916 unless you are an instructor wishing to use the gymnasium for finals, in which case you should call the Schedules Office (E19-335, x3-4788). The equipment desk at DuPont sells some small athletic items, often below list price. Other services include skate sharpening, racket restringing, and general equipment work.
The shooting range located in the basement of the DuPont Athletic Center is one of the finest in the country. Fifteen points are available for pistol, and calibers up to .45 ACP are allowed. (Sorry Desert Eagle .50 Magnum owners.) For air pistol practice, single shot pneumatic pistols are available, and for rimfire pistol, venerable Smith & Wesson Model 41's are on hand. Both a pistol team and club exist for your shooting pleasure, and during the winter many international-style tournaments are held for those interested in formal competition. For those of you wishing to qualify for your Massachusetts carry permit, the official pistol course offered by the MIT Athletic Department is far and away the simplest means. In addition to the pistol range, 16 points are also available for smallbore rifle fire. For details on the various programs, contact the Rangemaster (x3-3296).
The training room (W32-015, x3-4908), for both men and women, is in the DuPont Athletic Center. It is available to all members of the MIT community, but a referral from the Medical Department is required. Facilities include a whirlpool bath and exercise bench equipped with elastic bands for extension and flexing exercises. See the trainers if you have muscular aches and pains.
Squash courts are in two locations. There are eight courts at the Alumni Pool, and six courts at DuPont. The reservation number at the swimming pool is x3-6199 and at DuPont it is x3-9660.
Tennis courts are mainly on Briggs Field. They can be reserved (in season) by signing up there, one day in advance. Near Walker there are four paved courts which may be reserved by going to the East Campus desk. Don't call; you also have to sign up there. The four indoor tennis courts in the J. B. Carr Center (the tennis bubble) may be reserved by students only, no more than 48 hours in advance, for the hours of 2-6PM at no charge. At other times, and for non-students at all times, a fee of $8 or $9 per court is charged. Call x3-1451 for reservations. For all the courts it is a good idea to make reservations as early as possible because they go fast.
Rockwell Cage has a floor surface that can be set up for volleyball and intramural basketball. The Cage hosts the Athletic Midway in the fall. Courts can be reserved by calling x3-4916.
Henry G. Steinbrenner Stadium has an excellent cushioned 400 meter (1/4 mile) track which is great for running on if you don't mind going around and around. It can be slippery when cold, even though it's supposed to be all-weather. Field events, football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey are played inside the oval.
Briggs Field is that empty lot between Vassar Street and Amherst Alley on the west side of campus. It's the place to go for baseball, softball, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, field hockey, and intramurals. Call x3-4916 for reservations.
Alumni Pool (Building 57, x3-4489) is open at different times of the day for physical education classes and open swimming with family swimming on Fridays and Saturdays. Diving is sometimes allowed at the lifeguard's discretion. The pool has shower and locker facilities. Towels are provided. The hours vary according to the time of year. If you want to swim on a particular day, call the pool and ask what time free swimming is. You can also pick up a schedule of hours at the pool.
The Sailing Pavilion is the only facility where an athletic card won't get you in. You have to have a nautical card, which can be bought at the Cashier's Office (10-180) and costs $15 for students, $45 for employees, and $55 for alumni, with an additional $5 charge for each family member who will use the card. To be an active member you must also have passed the small craft swimming test. For more information call x3-4884.
The sailing pavilion has several boats of various kinds for which different levels of expertise are necessary to sign them out. There are also sailing classes (see below) along with individual instruction. Sailing is very popular at MIT, especially during the spring and summer months.
Pierce Boathouse (W8, across from Burton House, x3-9676) is the center for sweep-rowing and sculling. It has an indoor rowing tank and weight rooms. It is possible to take out a single or double scull if you have a small craft card and know how to scull. To get a small craft card, go to the swimming pool and take the small craft swimming test.
Shower facilities: The shower facilities in DuPont, at the pool, and in the boathouse come in handy. Lockers are available: $5 for students, $10 for faculty/staff, plus a $3 deposit on a lock.
Publications and Administration
A listing of varsity, junior varsity, and freshman sports; their seasons; and their coaches can be found in the MIT Registration Material along with the listing of gym courses. More detailed information can be found in the MIT Student Activities Directory (available from the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, 7-104) and a reprint of its Athletic section which the Athletic Department (W32-109) has available.
The highest student authority in MIT athletics is the MIT Athletic Association. The members are its President, Secretary, two members-at-large, the Varsity Club, the Intramural Council, and a representative from each MITAA Club. The MITAA sponsors the NCAA Volunteers for Youth, which is a big brother/big sister program for helping junior high school children with problems at school or home. The MITAA is also responsible for keeping its member organizations in line. Its executive committee reviews and evaluates budgets, scheduling, facilities, student morale, outside publicity, and the Physical Education Program. Let them know how you feel.
The Intramural Council, mostly representatives from each eligible organization, meets at least once per month to handle intramural affairs and to elect intramural managers. The Executive Board handles protests and updates the IM handbook.
The Varsity Club consists of captains and managers of recognized Institute Teams. It designates recipients of the straight T, an outstanding athletic achievement award. It publicizes and recruits for intercollegiate sports and helps out with intercollegiate sports events.
There are 37 varsity sports at MIT. Most sports have a freshman or JV squad. Teams generally practice 4--6PM or 5--7PM on weekdays. Some crew teams will have morning practices, notably the lightweight squad. Many teams that compete in the spring go to Florida for a few weeks of winter practice over IAP. Interested in being on a team? Go to the Athletic Midway during R/O week or call up the coach today. You can call x3-4498 to find out the coach's name and number or check the list in your registration material.
Spectators are welcome, free of charge, at all MIT sporting events. Sports events for the week are listed in the Institute Calendar in Tech Talk. You can also check the sports pages of The Tech and the "Sports Today'' columns of the Boston newspapers.
Intramurals
A very extensive intramural program is open to students, faculty, instructors, and lecturers who meet eligibility requirements. Teams can be organized by just about any group of people, including labs, clubs, and living groups. For many sports there are different leagues for different levels of athletic prowess. The IM Council (W32-121, x8-5782) coordinates all IM competition.
Essential to many IM games is the referee. You, too, can officiate and get paid for your efforts. The physical education department offers officiating courses, but you can ref without taking them. Talk to the manager.
Managers are also needed to keep Intramurals alive and well. Don't assume that there is always going to be someone else to do it. IM notices are posted on a bulletin board next to the equipment desk in DuPont.
The current intramural sports are:
Backgammon
Football (touch)
Table Tennis
Badminton
Hockey
Track (indoor)
Basketball
Octathon
Track (outdoor)
Bowling
Rifle
Volleyball
Chess
Sailing
Waterpolo
Crew
Soccer
Weightlifting
Cross-Country
Softball
Wrestling
Cycling (fall and spring)
Squash
Ultimate Frisbee
Fencing
Swimming
In accordance with its broad-based orientation, the Athletic Department offers an enormous variety of classes in sports and general physical education. Special interest groups and individual teachers widen the spectrum to include almost every form of physical activity, including riflery, folk dancing, and rock climbing.
During the year, regular physical education classes meet two hours a week for sessions lasting one quarter (one half term). These classes cover all the varsity sports and often make up a student's first introduction to a sport in which he later participates on an intercollegiate or intramural basis. This statement is especially relevant when applied to such sports as lacrosse, pistol, and squash, which few freshmen have participated in before coming to MIT. Also there are classes in development, swimming (from beginning to instructor levels), and such recreational sports as judo and archery.
The programs are excellent ways to relax, build up physical fitness, and learn a sport at the same time. Excluding a few very popular classes such as pistol, rifle, sailing, judo, weight-lifting, and partner dancing, they are often under-enrolled and thus especially open to upperclassmen, grads, faculty, and staff. There is a priority for students with unfilled physical education requirements. Registration is done by lottery on Athena, on the first day of classes and sometime in the middle of the term. Some classes fill right away, others never fill up. It is possible to register late for classes with vacancies.
Community Leagues
In many sports there are leagues for people simply interested in playing. Teams are formed by groups from departments, lab or mere coincidence, and everyone in the MIT community is welcome. The two largest such leagues at present are the Community Hockey Leagueand the Summer Softball League. Impromptu groups for squash, tennis and handball are also very common, especially at the staff and faculty level. Check with your friends to see if a team already exists which you can join. Call x3-4498.
Other Classes
Hatha Yoga is taught Monday, and sometimes Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings, by a special interest sub-group of the MIT Women's League. Call Mrs. Turchinetz (862-2613) if you're interested. The cost is $25 for ten classes. The course is especially good for joggers.
Both the Cambridge YMCA and YWCA offer classes in the martial arts. The YMCA teaches Shotokan karate three nights a week at a cost of$25/month. The YWCA teaches judo and beginning and advanced karate at a cost of $22/course. As with all "Y'' activities, you must be a member to take a class.
Private schools in the martial arts abound. Caveat emptor. According to a knowledgeable member of the MIT Shotokan club, many area schools care more about the dollars they receive than the instruction they give. Ask qualified people before committing yourself. The MIT Shotokan club has a sixth degree black belt instructor in once a week; he can give you expert advice.
Beaches
The MDC operates Revere (in the north) and Wollaston (in the south) Beaches, which are unimpressive and cruddy but reachable by the MBTA. The more popular (and better) beaches are further along the coast, and a car is needed to reach them.
Beaches on the North Shore include the following: Crane Beach, off Route 1A in Ipswich, charges $15.00 per car on weekends and $7.00 on weekdays; Wingaersheek Beach in Ipswich Bay, $8 on weekends; Plum Island, a long and beautiful beach with limited but cheaper ($4 per car) parking; Nahant, nice and close by but (as a consequence) often crowded, on a peninsula just north of Boston. Unfortunately, the water on these North Shore beaches wouldn't melt an iceberg.
On the South Shore are a number of options. One is Nantasket Beach. Duxbury Beach is 35 miles south of Boston off Rte. 3. Further south are Cape Cod with infinite beaches and Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard islands.
On Cape Cod there are several noteworthy peculiarities. First, the rush day for this place is Sunday, when all of Boston deposits itself on the Cape. Since the road facilities for getting on and off the Cape are limited, massive jam-ups result in the evening when everyone tries to go home simultaneously. The obvious solution is to go on a weekday, but, if that proves impossible, the rush can be avoided by starting at about 6AM and heading home no later than 2:30PM which takes quite a bit of willpower. Also, the best beaches in terms of water conditions are Nauset and Coast Guard on the eastern shore of the Cape. Since they, like everything else, quickly get crowded, you may have to walk one or two miles from the parking lot (north on Nauset, south on Coast Guard) to avoid solidly packed people. The Cape Cod National Seashore is undeveloped but much less crowded.
Ferries run to the islands. The best way to get around once you're on an island is by bicycle. They can be rented on the island, but since quality varies widely, you're better off bringing your own.
The MDC maintains public beaches for fresh-water swimming at Upper Mystic Lake in Winchester and Houghton Pond in the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton. Walden Pond in Concord has a public beach run by the state. It can get very crowded on weekends; go at non-peak times. Concord can be reached by commuter rail -- Walden is a good walk away from the station.
Bicycling
Biking can be dangerous. Watch out for cars (and joggers as well). Be sure to wear a helmet, and remember that it is illegal to ride at night without a light. (Yes, Mom.) If you don't have a bike already, you can rent one from a bike shop: Boston Bicycle Shoppe (303 Cambridge, 227-7027) for 3 speeds, by day or 1/2 day; Community Bike Shop (490 Tremont St., 542-8623 and 175 Mass. Ave., 267-3763) for 3 speeds, by day or hour; and Herson Cycle Co. (1250 Cambridge St., Cambridge, 876-4000) for 3 and 10 speeds by day only. All rentals require deposits.
There are several maintained bike paths in the area. Call or write the Department of Environmental Management, Division of Forests and Parks, 100 Cambridge St., Boston, 727-3180 for free pamphlets of the routes. Better yet, talk to the folks at American Youth Hostel (1020 Comm. Ave., Boston, 739-3017), or the Boston Area Bicycle Coalition (491-7433).
Also see the Transportation chapter for more information on maintaining a bicycle at MIT.
Bowling
Many Bostonians believe that bowling (some call it candlepins) consists of trying to knock down a bunch of wooden dowels with three undersized balls. If this is what you want, there are dozens of alleys in the area; check the Yellow Pages. If you want tenpins (which is what the rest of America calls "bowling'') it is a little harder; there are currently few nearby places to go. Boston Bowl (820 Wm. T. Morrisey Blvd., Dorchester, 825-3800) Open 24 hours. Lanes & Games (195 Concord Turnpike, Cambridge, 876-5533)
Canoeing
There is an excellent place to canoe within reach of public transportation. The Charles River Canoe Service (965-5110), open mid-April through October, is near the MBTA Riverside station and rents canoes on the surprisingly beautiful upper Charles River. South Bridge Boat House (369-9438), within walking distance of the Concord railroad station (less than an hour's ride from North Station), also rents canoes on the Sudbury River in Concord. The MIT Outing Club (W20-461, x3-2988) rents canoes and runs flat and white water trips. The Appalachian Mountain Club also sponsors trips and publishes a guide to canoeing in New England.
Fishing
In order to go freshwater fishing, you need a license. You can get it from the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, (100 Cambridge St.), 727-3151, or some sporting goods stores. You may be able to get a special non-resident 7-day license. For saltwater fishing, no license is needed. Call 727-5215 for information.
Golf
The Boston area does not have many good golf courses, and most are rather far from MIT. The better courses include Brookline Municipal (expensive unless you live in Brookline), George Wright in Boston, and Ponkapoag in Canton (which has 36 holes and low greens fees). There are also a number of privately-owned courses with daily fees; these are usually more expensive but better kept. Stowe has 36 different holes and Powderhorn is a good par 3 course in Lexington. Direct questions about golf in the Commonwealth go to the Massachusetts Golf Association, 190 Park Road, Weston, 891-4300.
Hiking, Mountain Climbing, Backpacking, Etc.
New England abounds in beautiful mountains and interesting trails. The White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, the Green Mountains in Vermont, Baxter State Park and Acadia National Park in northern Maine are areas especially worth visiting. Although the mountains in the Northeast are small by Western standards (the highest, Mt. Washington, is 6233 ft.), they should not be belittled. Treeline is about 4500 ft., so there are many open ridges, and many of the trails are steep and rough. Severe New England weather (Mt. Washington holds a record for its 231 mph gust.) adds to the challenge. Even during the summer the weather in the mountains is violent and highly unpredictable. Take a map, compass, and adequate clothing before venturing out there.
The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC, 5 Joy St., Boston, near the Common, 532-0636) maintains hiking trails and shelters throughout the Northeast. They publish maps and guidebooks to the area which are sold there, at outdoor specialty shops, and at The Coop.
The place to go for information on almost any kind of outdoor activity (hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, canoeing, bicycling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or ice climbing) is the
MIT Outing Club (MITOC, W20-461, x3-2988). They sponsor trips, have up-to-date information and good advice, and even rent equipment to members and people on club-sponsored trips. They have two cabins in New Hampshire (one in Intervale and one near Plymouth). They are often used for club trips and may be rented by other MIT groups. MITOC meetings are held Monday and Thursday 5-6PM. New members are always welcome. Sign-up sheets for trips are posted on the club's bulletin board in the Infinite Corridor.
Other organizations that run trips and give beginner's classes are AMC, Sierra Club (373 Huron Ave., Cambridge, 869-9330), and American Youth Hostel (1020 Comm. Ave., Boston, 739-3017).
Outdoor Clubs at MIT
Other outdoor clubs at MIT are:
MIT Skydiving Club Jumps on weekends, weather permitting.
MIT Scuba and Skin Diving Club For more information, call the swimming pool (x3-4489).
For hints on buying equipment, see Sporting Goods under Shopping. It's also a very good idea to contact someone in the appropriate MIT club for advice.
Ice Skating
There are also a number of ice-skating rinks in the area, including an outdoor one in the Boston Common (during the winter)!
Johnson Athletic Center (x3-4498) Free skating on Saturday nights during the term, as well as other times during IAP. Call for more information.
Skating Club of Boston (1240 Soldiers Field Rd., Brighton, 782-5900) has a sharpener come in part time. He is highly recommended by some MIT skating instructors.
Jogging
Boston is a reasonably good place to go jogging if you don't mind competing with bicycles and other joggers on the sometimes crowded paths. The Charles River has a 16-mile circuit that runs along both sides of the river from Science Park to Watertown. If jogging, use your common sense; crime can happen anywhere. You should also beware of Boston drivers, who are not often looking where they are going. Jogging at night is not recommended; Boston is a dangerous place when the sun goes down.
Rollerblading/skating
There aren't many roller rinks in the area, but there is National Sports Enterprises (383 Dorchester Av., 269-0087) in South Boston.
Skating outdoors can also be fun, but be on the look-out for runners and bikers. The Esplanade, the Common, and between the river and Memorial Drive in Cambridge are all good places to skate. A number of places will rent you skates. Try Eric Flaim's Motion Sports (349 Newbury St.)