Sports Facilities Available to Students

Photos from MHCC

You don’t have to be on one of Mt. Hood Community College’s intercollegiate sports teams to be physically active on the Gresham campus.

MHCC offers many opportunities to be physically active, and many of them are free to students. From our popular 25- and 50-meter swim pools to our widely unknown racquetball courts, there is something for everyone.

Mt. Hood’s Physical Education (PE) facilities stand separate from the main Academic Center. From the main classroom core, you can take the well-lit walkway (running south) from outside the Student Union to the PE buildings. At the end of the path lies the Yoshida Events Center, which houses the basketball/volleyball court, weight room, and other gym facilities.

Students, staff, and community members may patriciate in open weight room sessions noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

The adjacent indoor racquetball courts are available for use on weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Intramural sports are also offered at MHCC. Basketball is offered noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the main gym. Volleyball is played that same time on Tuesday and Thursday. Soccer is played 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday on the Earl Klapstein (football/track) stadium just outside.

The running track itself is open to walking, jogging, and of course, running, from dawn to 4 p.m. On the opposite side (to the west) of the Events Center/PE building lie multiple outdoor tennis courts, which are open from dawn until sunset every day.

A few minutes’ walk from the main PE building leads you to the Aquatic Center, which houses the college’s 25- and 50-meter pools. MHCC offers open swim, lane swim, and swim lessons. The times they offer swimming are listed on the Aquatic Center website (https://www.mhcc.edu/community-resources/aquatic-center/) as they may change often. Admission is free for current Mt. Hood students or staff members. Also found inside the Aquatic Center is also the rock wall, which offers discounted rates for students and staff on as many as 20 climbing routes.

If you are looking for a more structured workout or to learn more about health or fitness, the Health and Physical Education Department offers many classes each term. The courses range from swimming and basketball to backpacking and wilderness survival, to nutrition. Many of these courses are just one credit, while others are three credits. Many associate/transfer degrees also require taking at least one Health or PE class.

If none of those options are your speed, the MHCC campus offers several interconnected paths that make it easy to plot out a decent walk for exercise. There also is a short hiking trail parallel to the walkway from the Academic Center to the HPE building.

In sum, there is something for nearly everyone here on campus to get some physical activity. If you have any questions, you can always contact the HPE Department for help regarding resources on campus.

Advocate Staff