Sumers Recreation Center celebrates 10 years of community, well-being and connection

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On any given day, more than 2,000 people pass through the doors of the Gary M. Sumers Recreation Center. Some arrive for a workout between classes. Others stop in for a group fitness class, intramural sports practice or a chance to unwind after a demanding day. For many, it has become part of a daily routine. 

As the Sumers Recreation Center celebrates its 10^th anniversary, the numbers tell a remarkable story. More than 85% of undergraduate students and nearly half of graduate students use the facility annually. Approximately 1,200 faculty, staff and spouses access the center each year, and nearly 4 million visits have been logged since it opened on Oct. 29, 2016. 

Yet its impact extends far beyond attendance figures. 

For junior Kaia Roy, the Rec Center became part of her WashU experience almost immediately. 

During first-year orientation, her resident advisor encouraged students to explore BearFIT group fitness classes. Roy decided to give them a try and quickly discovered they offered much more than exercise. 

“Taking an hour at the end of a long day to get some exercise in and be around other students became something I genuinely looked forward to,” Roy said. 

Today, the biochemistry major says the Rec Center provides both stress relief and community, and she believes those connections are among the center’s most enduring contributions to campus life. 

“Through the BearFIT classes, I’ve connected with people from across campus, including students in Sam Fox and McKelvey, as well as law, graduate and PhD students,” she said. “Being able to meet people from so many different walks of academic life has given me a broader sense of community and belonging at WashU, and it’s made campus feel much smaller and warmer.” 

When the facility opened in 2016, it represented more than a new recreation center. Built through the transformation of historic Francis Gymnasium, a campus landmark linked to the site of the 1904 Olympic Games, Sumers was envisioned as a place where the WashU community could exercise, socialize and build healthy habits.  

Today, the facility supports a wide range of recreational and wellness opportunities, including intramural and club sports, BearFIT group fitness classes, personal training, indoor courts, a suspended running track, multi-purpose activity spaces and state-of-the-art strength and cardio equipment. 

For Lauren Johnson, a sixth-year PhD candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology, the Rec Center helped create community during an especially unusual time in university history. 

Johnson arrived in St. Louis in 2021, when many campus activities were still adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some fitness classes were held not in Sumers itself, but on the third level of Snow Way Garage. Despite the unconventional setting, participants quickly formed friendships. 

“With the reduced schedule, I saw the same faces each class, and we quickly became friends,” Johnson said. “The classes were a highlight of my first summer in St. Louis.” 

As campus operations gradually returned to normal, those friendships endured, and the Rec served as a place to study, work, exercise and recharge throughout the most demanding years of her doctoral program. 

“I easily spent 12-plus hours a day at the Rec switching between working, walking the track, eating from Farmer’s Fridge and attending fitness classes,” she said. “My dissertation proposal was written at the Rec.” 

The center’s influence reaches beyond the Danforth Campus as well. 

Sammy Risma, a fourth-year student in WashU’s MD-PhD program, first began using Sumers as an undergraduate in 2019. He later worked at the facility as a student employee and today regularly attends BearFIT cycling classes with fellow medical students. 

For Risma, Sumers provides an important outlet from the pressures of academic and clinical training. 

“Knowing that I have a space that’s away from the medical campus where I can challenge myself and work off some stress is really important to balancing the demanding workload of being in medical school,” he said. 

He also sees Sumers as a bridge connecting different parts of the university. 

“I think that the ability to come to Sumers Rec as a medical student really helps bridge the gap between the undergraduate community and the medical campus,” Risma said. 

While their experiences differ, all three students describe the same underlying value – connection. 

“I think the Rec has become a really valued part of the WashU community,” Roy said. “It’s a place where many people have formed friendships, found a sense of belonging, and carved out time to step away and recharge amid busy schedules. Beyond fitness, it gives students a shared space to connect across disciplines and look after their well-being.” 

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Healthy Excellence is one of the Division of Student Success’ anchors that delivers a transformative student experience. Student Success aspires to distinguish WashU as a place where students graduate even healthier than when they arrive.