What We Do
In overseeing RISD’s sports clubs and fitness activities, our team provides students accessible ways to achieve and maintain physical and mental health. Through our work we prioritize inclusivity, offer valuable leadership experience, and empower students to promote health and wellness within the campus community.
What we offer
Through the athletic teams we support and the dynamic fitness programs we offer, we help promote creative expression, self-care and teamwork. When participating in athletics and fitness activities at RISD, you will also find leadership and personal growth opportunities.
In addition to taking part in athletics and fitness clubs, you can also take advantage of the Catanzaro Student Fitness Center (SFC), located in the first-year quad. Open free of charge to the entire campus community, our facility holds:
- a weight and cardio room equipped with machines and free weights.
- areas for stretching and bodyweight exercises.
- fitness studios containing gear for boxing, yoga and other fitness activities.
We also offer several fitness classes at the SFC during the academic year. To find out more, check us out on Involved, our student engagement platform.
Athletics and fitness staff
Athletics at RISD and the Student Fitness Center are part of the Center for Student Involvement, an on-campus hub for student engagement that offers opportunities for you to get involved, engage in community, and grow as a critical thinker and global citizen.
Find out more about our staff below. Click a name to send us an email.
Joseph N. Gebbia Jr. Assistant Director of Athletics, Center for Student Involvement
Providence native Byron Olson is a RISD alum who received a BFA in Illustration in 2012. He focuses on comics and sequential art in his work, as well as landscapes and life drawing. A RISD basketball player while he was a student, he then spent 10 years as the team’s head coach until 2022–23 season.
Athletic Coordinator, Center for Student Involvement
Kyree Saintilus is a RISD Illustration alum from Chicago who focuses on sequential art and animation. His work has appeared at the Chicago Cultural Center, in the Black Biennial at the RISD Museum, and been featured by the Society of Illustrators. After a year on RISD’s fencing team, he became interested in exercise through boxing and weightlifting. These activities have inspired in Kyree a strong advocacy for overall mental and physical wellbeing.
Get involved and active
Find avenues for teamwork and collaboration, personal growth, and creative expression through our competitive and recreational sports organizations.
Learn what our on-campus fitness facility has to offer on your path to physical and overall wellbeing.
Discover our 50-plus student clubs and organizations on campus, plus a wide range of events that run throughout the school year.