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Club & Greek

Slackin’ and Yakin’ with the Outdoors Club

 The Outdoors Club and SGA Host Beach Party


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Who says summer has to be over? Not the Outdoors Club that’s for sure. This past Saturday the club hosted one of their largest events this semester down by the Monmouth beach. With upwards of 80 students showing up, the Outdoors Club was able to take advantage of what could have been one of the last nice beach days of the semester.

Outdoors Club president Greg Cenicola and club advisor Professor William Reynolds, along with the help of Megan Mcgowan, Assistant Director of Student Activities, were able to put together a great beach event for students.

The club was provided SGA’s Weekend Warrior grant which aims to keep students around on weekends and to get involved with University sponsored events. SGA’s Weekend Warrior grant provided a bus from campus to the beach which cost $400, but according to Cenicola it did not transport a single student.

The sun was shining and the waves were crashing that Saturday afternoon. The beach was inhabited by upwards of 80 students throughout the day, with a consistent number of about 50 there at all times.

Between contributions from the club and club members there were a total of six single kayaks, two double kayaks, one stand up paddle board, four surfboards and one skim board; all available for use by students.

Unfortunately, strong currents hindered some members from being able to get out there and experience the ocean. Cenicola said, “We didn’t let a lot of kids go out who haven’t done it before [kayaked or surfed], the rip current was fairly strong and we didn’t want anyone getting hurt.”

The club did take precautions though when it came to students going out into the ocean. “A few of our members are certified lifeguards,” explained Cenicola. “We always had one of our lifeguards keeping an eye on the students out in the water at all times.”

Kyle McCall is a senior and has been lifeguarding since he was 16. When asked if the strong current on Saturday made him nervous for student safety, Mc- Call said, “I wouldn’t say nervous because from experience people generally don’t go into water they don’t think they can swim in or out of, but I was definitely aware of how rough it was and didn’t stay in long myself.”

“I had a great time,” McCall said, “I think using the ocean kayaks and some of the other equipment the Outdoors Club brought was the best part. It was a great beach day too, so seeing everyone out and having a good time was cool.”

One of the main attractions of the day was the introduction of the slackline at the beach. Cenicola can often be found “slackin,” as he likes to call it, outside of the Student Center throughout the day. He explained, a slackline is a tight rope which is two inches in width and is set up between two destinations, usually trees. The goal is to use balance to walk across the line from Point A to Point B.

The issue that arose with “slackin” on the beach was that there were no sturdy points in which to set the line up between. Cenicola, along with Professor Reynolds and Mike Kulik, sophomore, built wooden posts called A-frames to make beach slackin possible.

According to Cenicola the crew only spent about $15 on supplies and assembled the structures in Reynolds garage. Reynolds also supplied his own bolts and screws to save on expenses. The A-frames suspended the slackline about three feet in the air. The secret, according to Cenicola, was to dig a hole in the sand about three feet deep and then tie the slackline ends around flat planks of wood and bury them to provide tension.

There were a lot of newcomers to the slackline on Saturday, according to Cenicola. “I’d say people were more likely to try it out because of the soft sand surface underneath. Most looked forward to trying it out again on campus,” he said.

Brendan Mallon, senior, attempted the slackline for his first time. “The slackline was a lot more challenging than it looked and I definitely have respect for the guys who were good at it,” he said.

Professor Reynolds was happy with the turnout and glad to be a part of club activities. He said, “My friends my age, they don’t do anything. They think going out to brunch with their wives is an adventure. I love the club and I love the great experiences it opens me up to. You’re never too old.”

Cenicola thought the event was a success and would love to see similar events in the future. “The majority of people who came were friends of people who were in the Outdoors Club, but it wasn’t just one group of friends. It brought a bunch of different crowds together. It was nice for people to meet new students. Everyone was nice, hanging out, playing football, slacklining, playing bocce ball, horse shoes and kicking around the soccer ball. It was nice to get more people involved and is something we always look forward to with Outdoors Club events.”

PHOTO COURTESY of Ed Morlock