Active Badger Day

Each spring, we inspire Active Badgers everywhere to get up, get outside, and get moving. Inspired by National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day, Active Badger Day is a full day of opportunities to play hard, get fit, and live well.

Past activities have included healthy meals at campus dining halls, tennis clinics, group fitness around campus, wellbeing workshops, fun activities in our Teaching Kitchen, and more.

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Three students wearing branded Active Badger Day tee shirts outside while smiling.

2026 Schedule

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All Day: Active Badger Meals

University Housing Dining is keeping you fueled with delicious food all day. Stop by Gordon Avenue or Four Lakes Markets all day for healthy, protein packed items for each meal period.

Menu

  • Breakfast: Avocado Toast, Blue Banana Smoothie, Mahnomen Porridge, and Scrambled Egg Whites
  • Lunch: Miso Cod, Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa, Green Beans with blistered peppers & shallots
  • Dinner: Curry Stew & Basmati Rice, Wheat Berry Pilaf, Ginger Glazed Salmon, Swiss Chard & Roasted Root Vegetables

All Day: Free Group Fitness Classes

Location: Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center and Nicholas Recreation Center

Group fitness is on us for Active Badger Day! Enjoy free walk-in classes all day at both of our facilities. Spots are available on first come, first serve basis. Check out our schedule below.

Group Fitness

6:30 - 8am: Taekwondo Sport Club Open Practice

Location: Spark Studio at the Nicholas Recreation Center

Join the Taekwondo sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Taekwondo club Instagram for more information!

9am - 4:30pm: Badger Tracks – Follow the Trail, Discover the Prize

Location: start at the ALPs office at 333 East Campus Mall, room 3125

Ready for an adventure between classes?  Badger Tracks is a campus scavenger hunt that turns a UW-Madison campus map into a scavenger hunt and your curiosity into a compass. Follow clues, unlock locations, and uncover campus spots you’ve walked past a hundred times—but never really noticed.  Each stop reveals part of the trail, leading you closer to a prize.   It will get you moving and is built for Active Badgers who love a good challenge.

To participate, come to the Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs) office between 9am – 3pm to pick up your map and clue worksheet  Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and to dress with the weather because you will be walking around campus looking for clues.

Return to the ALPs office no later than 4:30pm to receive your prize!

10am - Noon: HSLC Tabling Sessions

Location: Health Science Learning Center – Atrium

Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!

11am - 1pm: Try Shake Smart's Most Popular Shakes!

Location: Shake Smart in Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Have you been dying to try some delicious, protein-packed shakes at Bakke? Now’s your chance! Shake Smart will be sampling their most popular shakes! So stop on over, grab a sample or two!

11am - 1pm: Dining Hall Tabling Sessions

Locations: Gordon Dining and Dejope Residence Hall

Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!

11:30am - 1:30pm: Business School Tabling Sessions

Location: Grainger Hall – West Atrium

Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!

We will also have Business School Success coaches there to share about their program!

Noon - 1pm: Facility Tours with the Disability Cultural Center

Location: Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Join us for a tour of Bakke with an accessibility and inclusion focus for members of the Disability Cultural Center. Registration is encouraged and can be found through the link below!

Register Here

Noon - 1:15pm: Active Badger Day Tennis Clinic

Location: Nielsen Tennis Stadium

This tennis skill clinic is designed for players looking for a beginner friendly introduction to the fundamentals to tennis. This clinic is free for students and Rec Well members and $28 for community members.

Registration is required and can be done here.

Noon - 1:30pm: Exploring Mindfulness in Nature

Location: Outdoors! Begin at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Join our friends from UHS’ Mental Health Services on a facilitator led walk along the Lakeshore Path. 3 MHS facilitators will be leading small groups on a gentle, guided walk along the Lakeshore nature path, with 3 – 4 designated spots to complete mindfulness activities. Snacks and fun giveaways will be available to participants too!

Register Here

2 - 3:30pm: Free Public Skate

Location: Sub-Zero Ice Rink at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Drop by for some free ice skating! No skate pass required, skate rental will be available.

2 - 4pm: Floor Curling at OSAS

Location: Office of Student Assistance and Support in Bascom Hall

Want to be a part of our Active Badger takeover at Bascom? Join us for floor curling! We will be taking over the halls for some fun with other faculty and staff, and any students that would like to stop by!

3 - 5pm: Work Where You Shine Tabling

Location: Lobby at the Red Gym

Interested in working at Rec Well? Stop by the Red Gym lobby to find out more about upcoming student employment opportunities and how you can work where you shine here!

3 - 5pm: Try Shake Smart's Most Popular Shakes!

Location: Shake Smart in Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Have you been dying to try some delicious, protein-packed shakes at Bakke? Now’s your chance! Shake Smart will be sampling their most popular shakes! So stop on over, grab a sample or two!

4 - 4:30pm: Meditation at Chazen

Location: Chazen Museum of Art

Join us for meditation with a calming backdrop – a gallery at the Chazen. This a free session and is open to students and Rec Well members!

Register Here

4 - 5:30pm: Leadership in Action with ALPs

Location: 4th floor Multipurpose room in the SAC at 333 East Campus Mall

ALPs is hosting a workshop focused on learning your leadership style and actively engaging in team challenges to practice that knowledge. The workshop is free for students! Gather some friends to come learn about yourself (and others) in a fun environment.

4 - 6pm: Field Hockey Sport Club Open Practice

Location: Courts 3 & 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Join the Field Hockey sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Field Hockey club Instagram for more information!

4:30 - 6pm: Open Gym at Eagle Heights

Location: Eagle Heights Community Center

Join us for Active Badger Day at Eagle Heights!
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of movement, exploration, and fun. Kids can jump right into a variety of engaging activity stations designed to get them active and smiling, while Rec Well staff will be on-site to share information and answer questions about our Youth Program offerings.

It’s the perfect chance to discover new activities, meet our team, and celebrate what it means to be an Active Badger. Come play, learn, and get moving with us!

5 - 7pm: PEAK Climbing Night

Location: Esports Room & Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Join us for a night of climbing fun! Play 12 player PEAK, a game about a group of boy scouts climbing a mountain together, and do so while getting the opportunity to climb Mt. Mendota! Food and prizes will be available for participants. Registration is encouraged!

Register Here

5 - 8pm: The Wellness Social: Enriching Connection and Community

Location: The Well at Union South

Join Rec Well and WUD Wellness for create-your-own diamond art coasters, board games, puzzles, origami, free pizza, mocktails, and more!

Come solo to cultivate new connections or bring a friend at this drop in event. Registration isn’t required but is encouraged.

Register Here

5:30 - 7pm: Teaching Kitchen Open House

Location: Wolf Teaching Kitchen at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Celebrate Active Badger Day at Wolf Teaching Kitchen. Drop-in anytime between 5:30 – 7pm for activities and to taste our seasonal food of choice — citrus!

7:30 - 9:30pm: New Climbers Night

Location: Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

New to climbing and want to learn the basics? Mt. Mendota’s First Time Climb Event is an opportunity for people who want to begin their climbing journey to learn and be encouraged.These free, registration only events will feature several climbing instructors who are ready to teach you what you want to know!

Register Here

8:30 - 10pm: Swim Sport Club Open Practice

Location: Soderholm Family Aquatic Center at the Nicholas Recreation Center

Join the Swim sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Swim club Instagram for more information!

10pm - Midnight: Women's Rugby Sport Club Open Practice

Location: Courts 3 & 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Join the Women’s Rugby sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Women’s Rugby club Instagram for more information!

10pm - Midnight: Cricket Sport Club Open Practice

Location: Courts 1 & 2 at the Nicholas Recreation Center

Join the Cricket sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the cricket club Instagram for more information!

2026 Open Rec Schedule

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Throughout the day: Member Engagement Whiteboards

Locations: Powerhouse & Level 3 at the Nicholas Recreation Center and Level 3 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Interact with your fellow Active Badgers through our whiteboards! Get some fun stickers and engage with our gym community in this low-stakes activity.

6am - Midnight: Sports Simulators

Location: Skybox Suites at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Get your game on in the Skybox Suites! If you haven’t tried out the sport simulators, Active Badger Day is the perfect opportunity! Reservations for 1-hour sessions in the simulators can be made up to one week in advance for up to 6 people per bay.

More Info

6am - Midnight: Open Rec Basketball (The Nick)

Location: Courts 3 – 6 at the Nicholas Recreation Center

If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec basketball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.

6am - Midnight: Nap Pods

Location: Rejuvenate Room at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Ever been interested in the nap pods? No better time to try them than on Active Badger Day. Find some time to take a rest!

More Info

11am - 3pm: Open Rec Volleyball

Location: Court 1 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec volleyball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.

11am - 3pm: Open Rec Pickleball

Location: Court 2 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec pickleball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.

11am - 3pm: Open Rec Badminton

Location: Courts 3 – 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec badminton happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.

11am - 3pm: Open Rec Basketball (Bakke)

Location: Courts 5 – 8 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec basketball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.

Throughout the day: Open Rec Swim

Locations: Cove Pool at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center and the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center at the Nicholas Recreation Center

When’s the last time you hopped in the pool for a swim? Join us at open rec! Here are the hours for both our pools on Active Badger Day:

Soderholm Family Aquatic Center (The Nick)

  • 11am – 2pm
  • 5 – 8:30pm

Cove Pool (Bakke)

  •  3:30 – 8:30pm

Noon - 7:30pm: Open Rec Climbing

Location: Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Come check out the bouldering and top rope climbing wall! All you need is activity appropriate clothing, we have everything else! Learn more about the climbing wall below.

Mt. Mendota

Throughout the Day: Fitness Equipment Orientations

Locations: Nicholas Recreation Center and the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center

Learn all about the equipment in our buildings! Active Badger Day is a great day for a free fitness equipment orientation. Register for one today!

Fitness Equipment Orientation

Throughout the Day: SRLC Food Drive

Donation bin locations: Lobby at the Nick, lobby at Bakke, and lobby at Nielsen Tennis Stadium

Join our Rec Well Student Leadership Council in our annual food drive! We will accept all non-perishable and shelf-stable food items.

Thank You to Our Partners

Shout out to our friends on campus and in the community for making Active Badger Day the best way to spend a Thursday.

 

Ian's Pizza logo.

 

Steve Brown Apartments Logo

 

 

American Red Cross Logo. It's a red cross with the words American Red Cross in grey.

 

 

Logo for X01 apartments.

 

Logo for Grand Central apartments.

 

Accommodation Requests

If you need an accommodation to attend this event, email accommodations@recwell.wisc.edu. All accommodation requests should be made no less than two weeks before the event. We will attempt to fulfill requests made after this date but cannot guarantee they will be met.