By Samantha Smith
Youngstown State University’s Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center has a variety of programs and events available for students. One program in particular is the Rec Center’s Adventure Recreation.
R.J. Markowitz, coordinator of Adventure Rec, described the program.
“Adventure Rec encompasses a whole bunch of different things here at YSU. The main thing I think most people know about is the climbing wall,” he said. “Some of the lesser-known things we do are different trips and different events across campus and out in the community.”
It also allows students to rent out equipment for any trips, including camping, kayaking, backpacking and more.
Markowitz explained some of the events for this semester Adventure Rec will be offering to students.
“For this semester in particular, we have a ski trip and hiking trip in March, finishing up with our crate stacking event, and then we’re bringing back our bouldering competition,” he said. “In April, we are doing something we haven’t done before — we are going to the Go Ape zipline and outdoor obstacle course.”
In the crate stacking event, students try to stack as many crates as possible while on a belay system. Markowitz said it will be safe and fun for participants.
The bouldering competition is an event where students from different universities come to YSU to see who the top climber of the group is.
Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park is an outdoor course with different obstacles in the trees, according to Markowitz. This is something Adventure Rec has not offered before and will be a different experience for students participating.
Other events that Adventure Rec has previously offered include whitewater rafting, standup paddleboarding and kayaking trips. Along with those, it also hosted an overnight backpacking trip last semester.
As well as these big events, Adventure Rec will also invite students to Mill Creek MetroParks to boulder and free climb on small rock formations, and clean up the climbing area at the park.
“We’re trying to not only recreate in that area, we’re also trying to preserve and make it nice for everyone,” Markowitz said.
For more information on Adventure Rec and to register for any events, visit its webpage. Students can also stop inside the rec center to see the climbing wall and sign up for any events in the administrative office at the rec.
“We want to provide students with an experience or an opportunity that they might have never had before,” Markowitz said.
