Tecnológico de Costa Rica students gather at the campus baseball field every Friday morning for archery training, part of a tuition-free recreation initiative that offers non-traditional sports alongside yoga, cardio dance, and pilates.
Friday Morning Archery Sessions at the Campus Baseball Field
Eighteen student participants practice their aim weekly under the guidance of Luis Cascante, a computer engineering student who has run the archery workshop for three years. Cascante brings over four years of personal experience in the discipline to the sessions, having competed in national tournaments where he earned awards for his precision. The workshop operates as part of the broader Recreación TEC program, which provides free extracurricular activities designed to support student well-being and free-time development.
From Campus Workshop to National Competitions
The archery sessions do more than fill Friday mornings. Many participants eventually transition into competitive athletes representing the institution at regional athletic showcases, including the Central American University Sports Games and the Costa Rican University Games. Among those who advanced through the recreational ranks is a student known as Chan, who balanced his regular coursework at the institution with competing for the Cartago team in the national games. Another student, computer engineering major Marcela Ortega, joined the workshop on a peer’s recommendation and picked up the sport despite having no prior familiarity with archery.
Structuring Non-Traditional Sports for University Students
Jorge Vega, a faculty member in the School of Culture and Sport and coordinator for Recreación TEC, noted that student interest in these alternative sports programs continues to climb. The workshops run on 11-week cycles, starting with fundamental techniques to accommodate beginners who have never handled a bow before. Since the recreation program’s inception, approximately 360 students have passed through the archery workshop alone, establishing it as one of the institution’s most durable extracurricular offerings.
