Building Community Beyond the Gym
Colin Giusti ’25 rejuvenates Intramural Sports work climate with communication, leadership
Colin Giusti works both in and out of the office as an intramural official with flag football.
Many think of the Rec and see visions of strength and conditioning machines, dumbbells, and medicine balls. But Rec Sports offers much more than a backdrop for a daily workout. From cornhole to ultimate frisbee, Intramural Sports is just one of many programs promoting community and athleticism. Flag football alone comprises seven teams, none of which would run smoothly without employees like first-year graduate student Colin Giusti.
Giusti started as an official for Intramural Sports and now works as one of the coordinators. In his time here, he has developed a love for culture building and professional development—for both himself and his team.
“I think anybody who walks into my office is going to get a great experience,” Giusti said. “One thing that’s been huge for me is being able to give back to all of the (flag) football staff that I’ve worked with. I think it’s been a complete culture change from before I was a coordinator to now. I think everyone can attest to the fact that it’s been huge growth and I really enjoy being able to help out everybody that’s come through my doors.”
The key to this atmosphere upgrade: other people. Whether supported by Assistant Director Kaulin Andric and his fellow coordinators or supporting the rest of the team, Giusti attributes the culture change to improved work attitudes and leadership skills.
“The thing that makes me most proud is being able to have built upon the group of people that I have now into better leaders,” he said. “People want to pick up shifts, people want to come in to work because they enjoy it. It’s not all relaxed but people enjoy the seriousness of it, the competitiveness. They enjoy being able to be with the people out there.”
One day, Giusti might be found filling out paperwork or evaluations in the Intramural Sports office. The next, he could be found assisting officials out at Penberthy. Working with a student staff of 50 to 75 employees, alongside professional staff and an ever-rotating carousel of patrons, Giusti rarely has a day not spent communicating with diverse audiences.
“We’ve been able to do so much and connect with so many different people, and that’s been the biggest surprise,” Giusti said. “We have international students, or students in their last year of their degrees, and I’ve been able to connect with all of them on different levels and build a great community here. It surprises me every day how much we’ve been able to grow and how much we’ve built from when I first started here a couple of years ago.”
When Giusti first started his college career, he got only a few short months before COVID shut down his whole life. Come junior year, fate struck as he was getting used to being on campus again. A buddy messaged him about a shortage of flag football officials, and he decided he’d try anything to find community again. Little did he know, he’d end up helping shape that community into what it is today.
“I’m just so thankful that I was able to work for the Rec and be able to connect with so many people because it got me out of my shell from high school and got me out in the field, talking to people,” he said. “It helped me learn a lot of leadership skills I didn’t know I had, helped me with professional stuff that I’ll need for the future. I think it was an invaluable experience, being able to come through the Rec doors and work.”
Three years later as a graduate student, Giusti is studying with the Bush School to pursue a career in local government. While the flag football field and city hall may not have too much in common, Giusti finds parallels in his juxtaposing passions.
“Being able to talk to so many different types of people that come out and play games and being able to deal with that conflict is so huge for being able to deal with local government,” Giusti said. “It helps that I know how to talk people down and know how to work towards solutions.”
Rec Sports may very well be, at its core, just a place to work. But for Giusti and many others, the community makes it so much more. From saving a college experience torn apart by COVID to building essential communication skills for life after graduation, the people themselves are what make Rec Sports the home that it is.
“As serious as it can be to be an official, people are human, you can talk to them,” he said. “The biggest thing is being able to connect to people that I never really would’ve if I didn’t work here.”
