Outdoor Pursuits provides adventure

Why didn’t I know that?

Scuba diving, whitewater kayaking, spelunking: summer may still be three weeks away, but that doesn’t keep students from experiencing the excitement of a day or weekend-long adventure now.

These adventures come in the form of the various trips offered by Outdoor Pursuits each quarter.

According to Director Tom Tesar, the trips offered depend on the environment needed for particular activities.

“Our local environment influences the type of outdoor programming we provide,” Tesar said.

Some trips, such as backpacking, hiking and bouldering, can be done locally. Both Tesar and Urbanik stressed that less drive time means more time for the activity itself.

Other trips, however, venture farther from Athens.

Recent weekend trips have included caving in Virginia, rafting in West Virginia and whitewater kayaking in Pennsylvania. Outdoor Pursuits has also explored Arizona during spring break and scuba dived in the Bahamas.

Trips are designed to be “user-friendly for people with any skill,” as well as affordable for college students, Urbanik said.

“Our prices are really good,” she added. “I think sometimes students look at the prices and think, ‘Wow! $60 for a weekend’ but that cost includes equipment, food and instruction.”

Taser pointed out that these types of costs exist across Campus Recreation, where some activities are free and others, such as massages at Ping, are accompanied by a fee.In addition to adventure trips, Outdoor Pursuits offers a variety of clinics. These teach students anything from kayaking technique to bike repair, rappelling, backcountry cooking and knot tying.

Clinics vary from free to about $10 each, depending on the supplies needed.

For students who want to explore the area on their own, Outdoor Pursuits offers a rental center. Located behind Ping, the center rents out tents, canoes, ground pads, bocce ball sets and other outdoor gear to students, faculty and the community.

The rental center also sells equipment at reduced prices.

Trips and Clinics Manager Cara Varney is concerned that many students aren’t aware of this aspect of Outdoor Pursuits.

“People don't know about the rental center and what we rent,” Varney said.

Freshman Tanya Barnett admitted she knew little about all Outdoor Pursuits had to offer,

.“The only things I know about Outdoor Pursuits are from the pamphlets my RA put up around the dorm.”

Whether they are leading adventure trips, working at the climbing wall or attending activities, students are crucial to Outdoor Pursuits.

The Outdoor Pursuits staff is comprised of mostly students, who go through a training process to become trip and clinic leaders.

Students go through informational and skills training, which culminates in “shadowing” another leader on an adventure trip.

Varney assured that balancing school and training is not as difficult as it sounds.

"It's very doable, especially since we submit our schedules to the coordinators every quarter,” she said. “With training, they work around the student’s schedule."

Once students finish training successfully they can begin leading weekend trips and clinics and are urged to do so. "If I'm running the trip, I feel as though it's a lost opportunity for a student to be running that trip," Taser said.

Student staff members have a significant voice in which activities the program offers.

“A lot of what our clinics depend on is the expertise of our staff,” Urbanik added.

Voice is not limited to staff members though. At the end of each activity, participating students are sent an electronic survey, which allows them to make suggestions for future activities offered by Outdoor Pursuits.

Urbanik said that these responses have resulted in new trips before. She added that students can take a lot away from their experiences with Outdoor Pursuits.

“I really think that we do provide a unique avenue for socializing and meeting new people,” Urbanik said.

Varney added, “Outdoor Pursuits is really cool, and I’m not saying that just because I work there.”

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For a schedule of upcoming trips, visit Outdoor Pursuits’ Web site.