The zero-credit courses offered at Yates Field House are some of Georgetown’s best-kept secrets. The courses, listed under leisure and recreation education on MyAccess, are introductory-level classes in areas such as strength training, ballet, yoga and sea kayaking. Rather than pay for yoga classes or swim lessons, students, many of whom have no experience in these areas, can participate in these classes and have an experience that will expose them to a recreational activity that they might not have experienced before.

Senior Anna Chichura (COL ’12) was lucky enough to find out about these classes from a friend during her sophomore year and has since taken two of them, ballroom dance and tennis. “I just like having the opportunity to learn new things that I just wouldn’t take the time to learn otherwise,” Chichura said. These classes finally gave Chichura a way to pursue her interest in tennis without having to enroll in formal lessons. “I will probably take private tennis lessons after the class to continue learning, but I probably wouldn’t have done that if it weren’t for these classes.”

As a high school athlete, Grace Brown (COL ’14), a copy assistant at The Hoya took one of these courses as a fun way to stay active. “It’s a super fun and low-pressure way to learn something new for free,” said Brown about her experience with a tennis class last spring.

Many Georgetown students were athletes in high school and, other than through intramural or club teams, have had no chance to broaden their athletic horizons. Whereas intramurals are ideal for those who want to improve skills that they already posses or compete with others, the classes offered at Yates provide an opportunity to engage in new and exciting recreational activities.

Jan Taylor, who teaches the very popular dance classes at Yates, wants to give her students a learning experience that differs from the one to which they’ve grown accustomed in the classroom. She says, “Dance technique is not just a ‘follow-theteacher class,’ but one [in which] you have to think and direct yourself.” Her classes are frequently filled with students of both genders who have never danced before, but by the end of the semester, they can swing, waltz and foxtrot.

Since Georgetown does not have any type of physical education requirement, these courses help promote healthy lifestyles through kinesthetic learning and the acquisition of new skills. Beyond that, Taylor encourages students to take one of these courses because there is nothing to lose as there are no grades and no prerequisites. Chichura supported this attitude — she acknowledged that everyone was nervous on the first day but, once everyone realized everyone else was on the same level, they were able to relax, grow and learn as a group.

Chichura highly recommends these courses and hopes that younger students will take advantage of them. “The overall sentiment has been that it’s more of a senior phenomenon,” said Chichura. “People don’t know about it until later in their Georgetown careers and they regret not knowing about it sooner.”