Over the last decade, Americans have lost 15 hours of leisure time a week to other endeavors - more work, longer commutes, more hours spent staring into a computer monitor or TV.

That's a factoid that Mick Deluca takes to heart as he helps UCLA employees and students get the most out of their dwindling downtime, time that can be spent unwinding in a yoga class or kayaking at UCLA's Marina Aquatic Center.

"Everybody's leisure time is at a premium," said the new director of UCLA Cultural and Recreational Affairs (C&RA). "That's why we stay on top of the trends, whether it's Tae Bo, the latest fitness equipment or an outing in the great outdoors."

Deluca, associate director of C&RA for 12 years before moving into the top spot, heads a fast-paced enterprise that serves more than just employees and students with a staff of 43 full-time employees, 100 seasonal workers and 500-plus students.

On a recent summer day, his client list looked voluminous: hundreds of Camp Bruin kids; the Mercedes-Benz Cup at the Los Angeles Tennis Center; intercollegiate athletics on the Intramural Field; and throngs of visitors housed on campus for sports camps, conferences and other events. Along with Summer Session students, these visitors are provided with recreation privileges and, in some cases, special programs.

No wonder, then, that Deluca likens his job to running a parks and recreation department for a city - "the city of UCLA," he said, smiling broadly. His organization is unique for a university campus because it oversees a program huge in breadth and scope, as well as all recreation facilities, including venues like Pauley Pavilion.

Keeping competing interests in balance may seem overwhelming, considering that among U.S. universities with 30,000-plus students, UCLA has the smallest amount of playing-field space per student. Yet, it runs one of the largest intramural and club-sports programs in the country.

Deluca's ability to stay flexible is an asset that surfaced early in life. He was dreaming of a pro athlete career when he accepted a baseball scholarship at the University of Colorado. But one year later, his sport was dropped. Devastated, he transferred to Mesa State College in Grand Junction, only to be sidelined twice with a dislocated shoulder.

While recuperating, he took a job as student manager of the game room in the student union. "I found out I really enjoyed the interaction with people," recalled Deluca. The experience led him to a career in recreation management. After initially working in the golf industry, an offer from the University of Denver of a graduate assistantship and an opportunity to obtain a master's in physical education and sports science cemented his career. Following jobs at the University of Wyoming and the University of Denver, Deluca came to UCLA in 1989.

His greatest juggling feat may lie just ahead of him, with the closing of the Intramural Field this month for construction and the upcoming Men's Gym and Kaufman Hall construction projects - a loss of nine acres of playing-field grass, three basketball courts and a swimming pool over the next two years.

"While there will be some adjustments, we are not going to eliminate anything," he insisted. "We'll just have to become more creative about our use of space."