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Outdoor Program Green Efforts

Outdoor Program

BGSU Outdoor Program Gives Back with Eco-Friendly Programs

The University’s Outdoor Program (OP) offers a variety of outdoor activities and trips to enthusiastic outdoor participants such as white water rafting, rock climbing trips, hiking trips and kayaking workshops. In addition to its multitude of adventurous outings, the OP strives for sustainability by engaging staff and participants in Eco-friendly practices through its sustainability and Green programming. The OP’s Eco-friendly programs include Leave No Trace (LNT) Education, Green Initiative Partnerships and Environmental Service Events.

In fact, according to Jerome Gabriel, director of the OP, the Outdoor Program has always practiced green initiatives since the program’s start in 1999, he said.

“The most significant of which is the use of the Leave No Trace  principles of outdoor sustainability,” said Gabriel. “There principles have been a foundation of how the program interacts with the environment and are taught to all participants regardless of the type of trip that they are participating in.”

According to the OP’s website, Leave No Trace Education is designed to educate “outdoor enthusiasts” about the ways in which they impact the environment during outdoor recreational activities as well as the techniques they can use to reduce their impact on the environment.

The program is administered by two trained and certified Leave No Trace Master Educators as well as 10 Trainers. The Master Educators and Trainers administer over 20 awareness workshops, multiple trainer courses and one Master Educator course. The addition for the LNT Trainer and Master Educator courses give the courses validity and certification to the knowledge gained by all participants of the program, Gabriel said.

During the program trainers and Master Educators learn various techniques which are applied during a weekend or an entire week spent in the back country, Gabriel said. During their stay in the wilderness, trainers and Master Educators practice building mound fires, grey watering, dismantling man-made structures and cleaning up heavy trafficked areas, he said.

The second way in which the OP strives for eco-friendly practices is through Green initiative partnerships. The OP has partnered with the BGSU Sustainability Office and the BGSU Student Green Initiative Fund. Together, the OP and BGSU Sustainability Office offer annual events such as the ECO-fair and Earth Week displays.

This partnership began when BGSU Sustainability Coordinator, Dr. Nicholas Hennessy, became a trip leader for the OP’s Freshman Wilderness Experience program which is run by Gabriel. After finishing his fourth year as a trip leader last August, Hennessy and Jerome discussed the importance of sustainability and green initiatives in the OP’s various programs and as a result of these discussions, the partnership between the two programs was born.

“[The partnership] began because I have a huge interest in outdoor programs and my job/life is sustainability,” said Hennessy. “And I think Jerome has a huge interest in sustainability and his job/life is outdoor programs. So, it was a great partnership. Sustainability is becoming huge on college campuses and it is literally a part of appreciating and respecting the outdoors and the environment.”

Also, the OP’s partnership with the BGSU Student Green Initiative Fund has resulted in new Eco-friendly courses which may be included in future educational programming within the University. In fact, according to Hennessy, a course has already been included as a UNIV course.

Lastly, the OP organizes annual environmental service events to commemorate Earth Day. These events allow “outdoor enthusiasts” to give back to the land through trail maintenance,  and invasive species removal. All in all, the OP’s Earth Day commemorating events have resulted in nearly 100 hours of annual volunteer service to the local community.

For more information about how to get involved with the Outdoor Program’s sustainability and Green programming, please contact Jerome Gabriel, OP director, via email at jeromeg@bgsu.edu or phone at 419.372.2146. Also, please use the following links for information about other on-campus, Green programming such as Friday Night Lights, Green Tailgating and the Orange Bike Program.

Personal Training Programs at the SRC

Student Recreation Center

Group exercises and personal training

The Student Recreation Center has two options for those considering a more personalized exercise regime: Personal training and group personal training. Using the SRC’s personal training programs is a great way to get motivated, learn how to exercise properly and effectively and improve your overall health. Karyn Smith, health educator for the Wellness Connection, sincerely endorses the SRC’s personal training programs due to their vast amount of benefits.

“Working with a trainer offers a multitude of benefits,” Smith said.  “BGSU personal trainers provide the assistance, direction, motivation and encouragement needed to start and continue a lifestyle of exercise.”

Also, group personal training offers the same great benefits as the personal training program however, it allows participants to socially interact with their friends and trainer while saving money at the same time. Group training is a great way for participants and their friends to enjoy themselves while they work hard and get fit, said Smith.

Both programs are instructed by a total of seven personal trainers. Each trainer has been certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Aerobics and Fitness Association of American or American Council on Exercise and their workouts adhere to ACSM and NSCA training guidelines. After the initial assessment, each client is matched with the trainer whose personality and fitness philosophy best fit their demeanor and fitness needs. This process ensures clients an optimal fitness experience which tailors to their individual needs. Follow this link for the trainers’ profiles.

Each trainer is passionate about helping people from all walks of life reach their optimal level of personal health. All personal trainers are currently students at BGSU and have received extensive instruction and practical training, said Smith.

“They are trained to help with goals such as weight loss, aerobic fitness, muscle toning, strength building and flexibility, and enjoy finding creative and fun ways for their clients to be more active,” Smith said. “In addition, all of our trainers are nationally certified and maintain First Aid, CPR and AED certification.”

Those who are interested in either personal training or group personal training can check out the SRC’s website for further information about costs, body fat testing and scheduling and registration. Also, those interested may call the SRC front desk at 419.372.2000 to speak with a SRC representative.

SRC Holiday Membership Specials

Student Recreation Center

The Student Recreation Center offers two holiday membership specials. Take advantage of them today!

Last Friday, the Student Recreation Center launched its seven-month-long membership specials for this year’s holiday season. The SRC requests that BGSU affiliates and community members take advantage of these holiday specials which are scheduled to end May 4, 2012.

“These membership specials allow individuals to recreate, socialize and become physically active throughout the winter season when exercising outdoors becomes difficult/uncomfortable.” said SRC Facilities Assistant Director, Dave Hollinger.

The reduced membership rates include the Snowbird Special intended for individuals with or without children and the Family Holiday Membership Special for families with or without children. Please note that both regular season and holiday season membership rates do not include the cost of parking passes. Also note that the cost per dependent child is $10 for both regular and holiday season membership rates.

For less than a dollar a day, the holiday membership specials allows full SRC facility access to BGSU affiliates and community residents. As with regular season membership plans, the SRC holiday specials do not include access to group exercise or the climbing wall, however, these facilities can be accessed for an additional nominal fee.

The Snowbird and Holiday Family Membership specials last one to three months longer than regular, semester-long membership plans. Fall semester memberships cost $120 for BGSU affiliates, $144 for community members, and last for six months. Spring semester membership plans have the same rates as the Fall semester plans and last a little over four months. Compared to regular semester membership rates, community members can expect 13 percent off for the Snowbird Special as well as three additional months in the Spring and one additional month in the Fall.  Community members can also expect 19 percent off for the Family Membership Special as well as an additional one or three months depending on the semester.

For BGSU affiliates, the Snowbird Special costs an additional $5 however, the holiday membership last one or three months longer than regular semester plans. The Family Membership Special reduces costs by $6 for BGSU affiliates and, as previously mentioned, lasts one or three months longer.

Those interested in participating in the SRC’s membership holiday specials must call SRC front desk at 419.372.8454.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need to rent a space for a summer event?

Perry Field House

BGSU and non-BGSU groups can rent a variety of facilities at the Perry Field House, Student Recreation Center or Ice Arena

Summer may seem far in the distance, but it is never too early to book a space for an event. Depending on the event, BGSU and non-BGSU groups can rent spaces from three different locations on the BGSU campus: The Perry Field House, Student Recreation Center and Ice Arena. Each location offers different, rentable areas for a variety of events. These areas will provide groups with safe, reliable and fully-functional spaces that can be used for wedding receptions, practicing sports, swimming, ice skating and so much more.

Each location offers unique spaces with a variety of rental rates. Follow the links below to see which location and space can best serve you.


The Perry Field House has six areas available for rental: The Track Room, Turf Room, Sports Care Center, Conference Room and Foyer/Lobby. These areas are ideal for holding sport practices, physical therapy and/or physical therapy training and meetings.

 

 

 

The Student Recreation Center has ten areas available for rental: Gym Courts, Andrews Pool, Cooper Pool, Racquetball Court, Wallyball Court, Climbing Wall, Dance Room, Multi-Purpose Room, Youth and Family Room and Full Facility (excludes pools and climbing wall). These areas are ideal for holding birthday parties, dances or dance practice, exercise classes, swimming lessons or parties, after-prom activities, family/individual/group racquetball, basketball and/or wallyball games.

 

 

 

The Ice Arena has three areas available for rental: The Main Ice, Multi-Purpose Ice and lounge. These areas are ideal for curling hockey, figure skating and/or recreational skating,  wedding receptions, after-prom, retirement parties, academic seminars, business meetings and family/group organizations and outings. Renting the Multi-Purpose Ice along with the Lounge is widely popular.

 

 

 

If you are interested in hosting your summer event at the University please use the following links for registration and booking information: Perry Field House, Student Recreation Center and Ice Arena.


 

 

 

 

Three-on-Three Women’s Intramural Basketball

Intramural Sports

Monday night, the three-on-three women’s intramural basketball season began. Each three-on-three basketball game is played half court in the Perry Field House. Each successful basket is worth one point and teams are required to record their own scores. The tournament is divided into two divisions: Women’s 5′ 6″ and Under and Open Division. Below are pictures of the first game in the Women’s three-on-three open division tournament. The four teams that competed Monday night were The Breezeway, Team Falcon, Geeks-N-Sneaks and BG Ballers.

If you are interested in joining an intramural team please contact the Department of Recreation and Wellness at 419.372.2464 or email at imsports@bgsu.edu. Please visit the intramural web page for more information concerning costs and eligibility. Also, become a free member of IM Leagues and keep up with your favorite team.