The first director, Ellis Mendelsohn, was hired in 1953. He held that position for decades before Dale Ramsay took over in 1980. Ramsay retired in November after 41 years and proudly passed the position onto Justin Peterson, while joking Peterson should go for a new record and serve for 42 years.

Peterson completed his undergraduate degree at Michigan Central University, where he was a sports official and supervisor in the Intramural Sports program. He then became a graduate assistant in the Department of Recreational Sports at Indiana State University, where he received a MS in Recreation and Sport Management.

In 2010, Peterson began his career at UofL. As a longtime member of the Cardinal community, he’s well known for establishing the Special Olympics program here in 2016. His dedication to that initiative led to UofL’s unified basketball team becoming the first ever to represent Special Olympics Kentucky at the USA Game.

Peterson’s first title at UofL was coordinator for Intramural Sports. He worked under Ramsey, who quickly became an influential mentor, and was eventually promoted to assistant director of Intramural Sports and then to associate director of Facilities. He’s been involved in nearly every aspect of the Student Recreation Center’s programming.

Now, he’ll be overseeing the people who hold these positions that he once did. His leadership is respected among peers as he’s spent more than 10 years building trust across campus.

“Dale taught me a lot about relationship building because it’s a really big piece of the job. If people don’t know who you are, they’re not going to call on you. But, if they meet you and know that they can call on you, they learn that they can trust you. Being able to have those conversations and doing the small things for people will go a long way,” said Peterson.

Peterson doesn’t just do the “small things” for others, though, he goes the extra mile.  While continuing cherished traditions like the Turkey Trot and Canoe Regatta, he’s also expanding programming to reach more students with varied interests. In this spirit, the name of the SRC’s department was recently changed from “Intramural and Recreational Sports Department” to “Campus Recreation.” 

Their purpose is to “…improve the quality of life and sense of belonging for all members of the University of Louisville community,” so he feels that the new name more accurately represents what they’re about. He’s continuing to broaden the vision of inclusivity by working with other departments to create programs that reach people with interests beyond the fitness center, field and court.

One way he plans to do this is by offering more activities in nature, such as hiking trips, alternative breaks at outdoor recreation spots and community cleanups. 

Peterson is fostering an environment that’s welcoming for everybody, while also addressing the holistic wellbeing of each person. He’s found that recreation can be a unique catalyst for getting students to open up about mental health.

“There are emotional health initiatives that we can do because one of the beauties of the sports setting is that you can break down some barriers. You’ve got people who might not be willing to open up and talk about things, but if you get them out on the basketball court, you can start having a conversation. You get to know a lot about a person and create a connection with them,” he said.

The SRC’s intramural sports teams and clubs have been a great avenue for the UofL community to do just that. There are more than 25 clubs, from ballroom dancing to basketball to badminton, where connections are being formed and students get to explore fitness while having fun.

The connections Peterson has built continue to benefit every program he’s involved in. With his drive and dedication, he may just break that 42-year record. 

That has changed with COVID-19 requiring social distancing. However, the SRC is finding creative ways to keep students active. From online gaming to virtual workouts, the SRC wants to ensure that students stay connected.

“That’s a big part of what we do at the SRC,” said David Rice, coordinator of Sports Clubs and Facilities. “We are there to engage students and to get them to engage with each other. Part of the university is not just in the classroom, so typically when you go over to the gym and play basketball with someone you’ve never met before, you might just come away with a new friend. This partnership is really just an extension of that, exercising proper social distancing.”

The SRC partnered with the Cardinal Gaming Club to provide online gaming options. Students will need to join in order to connect with the Cardinal Gaming Club channels. Games available include Fortnite, Call of Duty or social role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. Through this partnership, more students can connect without stepping foot on campus.

For those looking to be more active, employees of the SRC have set up , where students can follow along with an instructor from their own homes. In addition, students are able to meet one-on-one with SRC Fitness Staff via . These sessions are available by reservation and will last roughly 15 minutes, giving students an opportunity to ask questions or get tips on how to train during isolation.

The SRC has also provided several social distancing , where students can run on or near campus, including HSC, with routes beginning at one mile up to four. There is also a link to create individual routes based on students’ location.

“I’d describe it as dungeon-like,” said graduate student Bria Staten-Favors, about the previous facility. “It was old, it was dark. The equipment was old. It wasn’t inviting.”

Four years later, the SRC is thriving. Debby Woodall, fitness director in the Intramural & Recreational Sports Department, has witnessed the entire evolution, having worked in the department for 20 years. The new(ish) facility, located on the west side of the Belknap Campus, boasts multiple group fitness studios, six basketball courts, a gaming area, 14,000 square feet of strength training areas, a golf simulator and more.

It also offers about 30 different classes, from group fitness and cycling, to power yoga, restorative yoga and yoga with live music. It even offers belly dancing. When the department was housed at the SAC, there were about 12 classes a week. Yoga wasn’t even on the map.

“We couldn’t offer yoga because we didn’t have the right facility. We couldn’t offer cycling because we didn’t have the bikes,” Woodall said.

Now, those are among the most in-demand classes. Some yoga classes generate 35 students.

“Cycling and yoga have surprised me the most. We have been challenged with keeping up with demand and have had to turn people away. We had to order more bikes,” Woodall said. “Our (classes) numbers have gone up well over 100 percent.”

However, it is not just the classes that are drawing in the students; it’s the facility and location. Kylar Ware, a junior from Mount Washington, said that, though the SRC was intimidating at first because of its size, she loves going now.

“I think because it has two floors, it helped me get over the intimidation factor. I also love the windows because it gives me a feeling that I’m not missing out on my day by being inside of this building and being removed from everything,” she said. “I usually hate gyms, but the SRC is really nice and I’ve noticed a change in myself where I want to go now.”

Since she lives in the Pi Beta Phi house across the street, it’s also easier for her to go. Staten-Favors agrees that the SRC environment and location motivate her more.

“I don’t have to worry about going across campus to workout at night,” Staten-Favors added. “I also like that it’s two levels so I can work out in a more private place if I want.”

Woodall said this is the type of feedback she’s been getting from students across the board.

“We’ve done surveys and I can say going on our fourth year that I love where we are,” she said. “It’s a totally different program than what we used to have.”

The SRC will continue to “trial and error” new programs, such as lectures and classes. In the next year or two, some equipment will be replaced as wear and tear sets in. Woodall said they’re also working with new vendors to test new pieces of equipment, such as a Zero Runner, an Incline Trainer and a “soft-powered treadmill,” that uses less energy. Finding the right classes and equipment to resonate with students has been what Woodall calls a “fun challenge.”

“The fact that our students avoided the SAC bothered me. It’s a shame they didn’t feel like they had a place to go,” she said. “But I love that they have all of this now. It’s important we give them this positive outlet.”

Check out more photos from the .