cOUl classes
Winter Activities course makes most of cold weather
By Jaclyn Lipp, Staff Writer
February 22, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Students may be able to cross a few items off their lists of things to do before they die after taking the Recreation 111: Winter Activities course. After all, not many people can say they have spent a night in an igloo.
Actually, “quinzhee” is the more precise term to describe the snow shelter that students constructed outside Bird Arena as part of the one-credit-hour winter recreation course. The class usually meets inside Grover Hall for two hours each Monday afternoon. However, under the instruction of graduate teaching assistants Matt Hartman and Tara Allman, students are often getting out of the classroom and going outdoors to experience unique winter activities firsthand.
Seniors Angie Germano and Susan Lackey spent a night inside the quinzhee after they helped build it out of leftover ice from the Bird Arena ice rink. One special feature of the snow hut is the narrow tunnel leading to the interior, which helps block out the wind. The girls claimed that sleeping inside of it really was not that cold, so the tunnel must have served its purpose. Both students also agreed that the overnight stay was one experience that they will not forget.
“Someone told me that we were probably going to build an igloo, but I didn’t think I’d actually sleep in it," Germano said. "It’s one of my interesting facts whenever I have to do group activities and I have to say something interesting about myself.”
The quinzhee is far from being the only memorable outdoor activity in REC 111. By using some equipment from Ohio University and by finding great rates on trips, the class travels far outside of OU for more winter adventures.
Award: Best Class Trip
The mandatory weekend camping trip this past weekend to the Dolly Sods wilderness area in West Virginia was a culmination of many of the skills that students learned in the class. Snowshoeing, skiing or snowboarding, stargazing and camping out in tents were all on the agenda.
Junior Jason Dasher, who had previously taken wilderness survival classes, pitched in to help the class make a fire, filter water and make venison stew. He also pointed out the success of the camping trip, even with the varying degrees of experience of the students in the wilderness.
“It turned out to be better than I expected with the different skill levels that everybody had," Dasher said. "There were some people who had never camped or skied before, so it was good that they all got to try all that stuff.”
Everyone seemed to have great things to say about the experience. Allman described the beautiful scenery of snow-covered trees surrounding the students as they hiked to their campsite. She also commented on the group’s good dynamics and the great feeling of being able to teach someone valuable skills on a trip.
“You take the opportunity for a teaching moment when it’s there," Allman said. "It’s really the best way to learn, learning by experiential education and learning as we go. It’s really what we do.”
No falling asleep in these lectures
Even when the class is not trying out new winter activities, the adventure is brought inside to them. Danny Twilley, a recreation studies instructor at OU, gave a fascinating guest lecture on his experiences in mountaineering. He brought his equipment to show, and he also described climbing Mount Izta in Mexico and the challenges he encountered. He captured everyone’s attention by describing the dangers and how he has practiced going into self-arrest with an ice ax in case he would start to fall down the mountain.
Twilley also gave pointers on ice climbing; the students will head to Hocking College in a few weeks to tackle the indoor ice wall. They will be fully equipped with ice axes and crampons, which are footwear with large spikes to gain traction in the ice.
Hartman and Allman also bring true enthusiasm for the course, both having experience in outdoor recreation. Hartman used to do some back-country skiing while living in Vermont. Both teach other recreation classes as well. During the fall, Allman taught a wilderness navigation class, and Hartman led a wilderness survival class. Coming up in the spring, more exciting recreation classes will be available, such as mountain biking and rock climbing.
“There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.” –Norwegian Proverb
Many times, people have a negative connotation about winter weather, but Hartman hopes that Norwegian proverb, which sits at the top of the class syllabus, really will sink in for the students who take this class.
“I think that’s one of the big take-home messages of the course," Hartman said. "I want people to feel like it doesn’t matter how cold it is or how much snow there is. You can dress for it and go out and have fun and have neat experiences.”
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