Nick Jewell, associate director of club sports, intramural sports, and sport camps for MIT’s Department of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation (DAPER) became a recreation professional because of the impact club sports (competitive, nonvarsity athletic teams) has made on his life. His participation in club sports has allowed him to find community anywhere he travels, whether domestically or abroad. In addition to creating an environment that provides education, inspires leadership, and promotes wellness, a pillar of DAPER is developing community, which makes Jewell’s professional and personal background an asset to the department.
After graduating from Clemson University with a master’s degree in education, student affairs for college athletics, Jewell moved to Boston. Five years ago, he began his career at MIT overseeing the front desk for DAPER. Moving up the ladder, Jewell now runs a variety of programming throughout the year. Much of his job is dedicated to the execution of MIT’s intramural and club teams.
Annually, MIT fields 20 to 25 intramural sport leagues, with the majority of them competing in the fall. Seasons last between six and eight weeks each semester, and teams are available for various skill levels. Current offerings include badminton, 3v3 basketball, and volleyball. MIT’s Club Sports Program complements the Institute’s intercollegiate athletic and intramural programs. MIT students, faculty, staff, alumni (and their spouses) are encouraged to join one of 34 club teams that range from alpine skiing to wrestling. Intramural sports are intended to be casual, while club sports require players to have a higher level of skill and commitment.
Jewell credits the success of club sports to the students who run them, and lends his supervision as needed. For example, if a club team wants to participate in a tournament in New York City, student officers ask Jewell to approve their participation. After Jewell signs off, the students reserve hotels and transportation, either through the Division of Student Life or by using their allowed budget (which Jewell manages) themselves. Clubs can also fundraise for their travel and have found that the most successful method is to host a tournament on campus. While these are also largely managed by students, Jewell serves as the liaison between the club officers and facility operations to reserve spaces and troubleshoot issues that may arise.
Jewell is also in charge of the MIT All Sports Summer Day Camp, which runs for seven weeks and offers a variety of athletic activities along with swim instruction. Each winter, he hires 50 part-time employees, including counselors, for camp. When camp registration opens, Jewell and his team input the information of 800 registered campers in their database in time for them to arrive on campus.
Always looking for innovative offerings for the community, Jewell recently attended the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) conference to learn what other university recreation departments are providing for their students. One takeaway was that arcade games are making a comeback. At the start of the pandemic, MIT students were engaging with each other by playing “Mario Kart” and other interactive video games, as it was easy to stay socially distant and compete while communicating over headsets. When students no longer needed to social distance, they continued to participate in competitive video games. With a squash court that was no longer in use, excitement from students, and newly raised funds, Jewell created MIT’s Esports Room. The room includes a PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch with four controllers for each, and a mini movie theater with a large projector and beanbag chairs for 15 people to sit. With the equipment in place and the space complete, Jewell’s next plan is to create e-sports tournaments.
Jewell’s pitch about intramural and club sports is simple: join one. When he speaks at orientation for new students, he tells parents about how the offerings from DAPER will enhance their child’s experience as a student — and beyond. Jewell and his colleagues want to ensure that when graduates have a career opportunity in a new city, or if they travel somewhere where they do not speak the language, they will be able to find community through sports.
Soundbytes
Q: What project at DAPER are you the proudest of?
Jewell: During the pandemic, I wanted to help students get outside and stay active. Because of this I created the “Simply Walk to Mordor Challenge” (from “Lord of the Rings”). Students made teams (fellowships) of up to six and added the steps they took each day into a spreadsheet. They could not only race characters Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins, but they could also race other adventuring parties the distance from the Shire to Mount Doom. There was also a personal bar graph that showed students where they were in the book if they wanted to read along while they walked. It gained a lot of traction, and over 100 students participated. I was proud to get it off the ground and we got a lot of positive feedback from the students.
Q: What do you like the most about the MIT community?
Jewell: At MIT there is no such thing as a bad idea. Community members come to me with ideas that they know may not come to fruition, but that does not diminish their enthusiasm. For example, a student contacted me who wanted to start a varsity paddle ball team. I told him that starting a varsity team is tough, and we do not have any paddle ball courts. He suggested that we use one of our tennis courts to create a court for paddle ball. Eventually I had to tell him that it wasn’t going to work, but you don’t get creative, fun ideas without tossing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks. I love that students, staff, and faculty are creative enough to come up with ideas and ask, “What if we tried this?” Sometimes we can’t, but when we can it’s magic.
Q: What advice would you give to a new staff member at MIT?
Jewell: Go to all of the meetings and activities that you can and interact with people outside of your department. There is a lot happening on campus that you can participate in and a lot of interesting people to meet. If a staff member wants to play flag football with undergraduates, we encourage that! Staff members can also get a membership to the DAPER gym, and we offer a lot of different athletic events and recreation opportunities for both mental and physical health.