The Virginia Tech Department of Recreational Sports has received a National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Creative Excellence Award.

Recreational sports brings home a first place award this year in the audiovisual category for their Promotional Video: What’s Your Game? The video creatively highlights all the program areas recreational sports has to offer in facilities, fitness, aquatics, intramurals, and sport clubs, as well as information about student employment.

The video is used to promote the department during freshman and transfer orientations. Recognition goes to the design team of Cathy Kropff, of Roanoke, Va., recreational sports marketing manager; Gabe Minnich, of Blacksburg, Va., a producer and director in University Relations/Visual and Broadcast Communications; and King Video Productions.

“It takes a lot of team work to put together a promotional video to represent the entire Recreational Sports program. The challenge was to keep the video upbeat, energizing, and short,” said Alan Glick, assistant director of sport clubs and marketing. “We really enjoyed making the video and working with the Virginia Tech community to put it all together.”

For the second consecutive year, recreational sports also received a second place award for their 2008-09 Calendar. Six thousand calendars are distributed during freshman and transfer orientations, and other events held around the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg communities. The calendar is a comprehensive look at the department and highlights the numerous special events planned throughout the year. In addition, the calendar gives the Virginia Tech business community an opportunity to offer students, faculty, and staff coupons and discounts, as well as to promote the department.

Recreational sports’ former student graphic designer, Michelle Via, of Alexandria, Va., who received a degree in art and art history from Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies in May 2008 helped design the calendar to facilitate marketing for all of the program areas and recreational sports as a whole. Via is currently employed as a graphic designer at Blackbarn Media in Alexandria.

The Creative Excellence Awards are designed to recognize the innovation and creativity of NIRSA members and acknowledge their outstanding accomplishments in marketing recreational sports, fitness, facilities, and programs.

Virginia Tech Recreational Sports is pleased to receive these awards and will be recognized at the 2009 NIRSA Annual Conference and Recreational Sports Expo in Charlotte, N.C., in March.

Parties interested in being a part of next year’s calendar should contact Cathy Kropff.

Share this story