Santa Monica Community Recreation
Photography and Story by Marilyn Taylor/Corsair Staff
Formed over 40 years ago as an experiment in Professor Jo Kidd’s Leisure Studies and Program Planning class for aspiring leaders in the Community Recreation, the Santa Monica College Sunday Community Recreation Sports Program has gone through many changes througout the years.

It began as a lab in which Prof. Kidd’s students could “learn by doing.” However, it has transformed itself into something she as well as many of the participants now see as “a family”; one that has taken on a life of its own.

At first the games were only on Friday nights after SMC football games: something for the crowds of students to do with their energy after attending a football game.

The program at that time featured table games such as backgammon as well as more physically active endeavors such dancing, but Prof. Kidd saw the potential to do more. So she and her group of students decided to open the program up to the outside community. It became a 1st Friday and 2nd Saturday event in which students as well as non-students could get together a compete in events in a friendly atmosphere.
However, as attendance became somewhat sporadic due to the uncertainty of dates, Prof. Kidd decided to make it a regular weekly event, one day a week. Sunday was chosen since few SMC events were scheduled on Sundays.

Former students as well as current students in the Leisure Studies program who went out to do internships in such places as the YWCA, Boys and Girls clubs as well as other arts and recreation programs told those in the areas in which they endeavored about the offerings available in the SMC and so the word spread.

Today the SMC Co-Rec Sports Program is one of the vital programs in the community bringing together individuals throughout Los Angeles and Santa Monica community every Sunday morning for friendly spirited competition. The Santa Monica Co-Rec Sports program features pay-to-play basketball in the mornings from 8:30 – 11:30, and then table tennis and badminton from noon to “until they drop” around 9 p.m. Non-SMC affiliated individuals pay a nominal fee to participate, while SMC students and Alumni may play for free.

It was word-of-mouth from a friend that brought Nick Porter, a first time attendee to the basketball game on Sunday to come from Compton to check out the SMC Sunday basketball game. On being asked what he thought of the play at the end of the day, Porter described his experience as “Alright, competitive, cool.”

The SMC Sunday Co-Rec program is considered by many of the athletes who make the trek every Sunday to be one of the best gyms where people can play a good game of basketball.

In addition to basketball, the Sunday Co-Rec Sports program attracts visitors from all over Los Angeles County for badminton and table tennis.
In fact, it’s table tennis program attracts athletes from all over the world. Just this past September 2007, three time world table tennis champion Zedong Zhuang of China came to SMC to give a talk and demonstration on table tennis. The Santa Monica Sunday College Co-Rec Program also hosts at least three United States sanctioned Tournaments every year. This past weekend, Gao Jun, leader of the US Women’s table tennis team visited SMC to compete in the Golden West Tournament held in the Santa Monica College Pavilion.

Jun, who will be leading the U.S. Team in Beijing China in the 2008 Olympics beat out both men and women at the event; and won the tournament, winning the top prize against fellow U.S. Team member Crystal Huang in the Open Singles competition.
As Prof. Kidd explains, the program at SMC is more well known internationally than here in the U.S. or even at the college itself. As such, Kidd would like the various powers that be at SMC to start a consistent program here at SMC, one that would get its support and advisory group built up of interested students staff and faculty.

One that would see SMC students participating during the activity hour without having to sign up for a class or even join a club: a program open to the entire Santa Monica College Community.

The first experiment in this venture will take place on Thursday, April 3, when the Pavilion Gym will be open for students to share the gym for for open games of table tennis and basketball.