The Ohio State Department of Recreational Sports offers more than just intramural sports and swimming pools to the campus community. Day-care, athletic instruction and physical facilities are also offered to the entire campus community.

The newest aspect of the department’s outreach initiative is called the Age Group and Camps Program. The initiative provides kids in the Columbus area with athletic training programs in a variety of sports.

Three types of programs are offered: aquatics, which includes synchronized swimming and diving; specific sports instruction programs; and camps. The sports programs offer dozens of sports year-round.

“To have an extensive year-long program is rare. UCLA may be the only other school with a program like ours,” said Jilaine Anderson, assistant director of the Age Group and Camps program.

The program hires students to be instructors. Students also supervise alumni and faculty members’ children during home football games so the parents can watch the game. Chris Hill, a first-year graduate student in physical education, instructs 4- to 8-year-olds in tennis.

“What’s really good is these kids can do whatever sport they want. The teachers are developing their skill levels in a positive way. It’s good social interaction too,” he said.

A majority of the kids in the program are children of people involved with the university. Ninety-five percent of the participants are children of faculty, staff and students.

The Larkins Hall renovation will expand the program even further.

“The renovation has spurred lots of membership promotion,” said Erik Riha, spokesman for the Age Group and Camps Program.

Riha said his goal is to make the community aware of the programs offered by the department.

“A lot of people think lifting and shooting baskets is all we offer, but we tailor programs for the whole family to take part in, from fundamentals of sports all the way to maintaining wellness,” Riha said.

In addition to the kids’ programs, there are also some programs designed to help disabled people, while others are for older people with health issues like arthritis.

“The thrust for the future is to offer recreational services to the entire university community from the cradle to the grave,” Anderson said.