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Russ Crispell is coordinator of the Outdoor Pursuits program. He also is head coach for the men's tennis team.
What is the Outdoor Pursuits program?
Outdoor Pursuits is
part of our comprehensive recreation and intramural services department
within the Division of Athletics. Specifically, the Outdoor Pursuits
program is designed to service the needs of our students, faculty and
staff, and the community by offering a variety of outdoor recreation and
education activities in a safe and highly qualified manner. We have in
the past offered expeditions to Alaska (an annual 17-day trip),
backpacking, whitewater rafting, canoe camping, kayak roll clinics,
backpacking and canoeing for academic credit, snowshoeing clinics,
winter camping, map and compass, and other activities.
Why is it important to have such a program at a
university, especially a research university like UB?
Great
question. I believe that recreational activities, whether they are
indoor or outdoor, are critical to the overall health of an individual.
The stress that one acquires in any college or university setting must
be relieved, and recreational activities do that. The Outdoor Pursuits
program does not require the use of the university's already taxed
recreational venues. We are able to offer programming without walls, so
to speak. This type of programming also is one that is growing in
demand. Research completed by my office reflects a strong need to offer
such programming as climbing, bouldering, canoeing and kayaking,
backpacking and expeditionary travel for credit. At UB, we are
evaluating what areas to focus our own growth of this critical, but fun,
programming.
Have you always been an outdoorsman? What's your background?
I was introduced to the outdoors as a child, having spent several
years at the tip of the Adirondacks. Many days of my youth were spent
hiking, fishing, and camping in and around the Adirondacks. As I grew
up, I expanded my outdoor experiences. I went to college in Florida,
where I participated in activities that ranged from surfing to
snorkeling, to swimming with gators. After college, I moved back north
where I worked for a summer as a guide in Maine. My desire to develop
the outdoor program at UB came from having had great personal
experiences that I felt were important to bring to the UB student
population. I am a licensed guide in New York State with the Department
of Environmental Conservation and serve as the president of the
Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. This is a professional
association for those who manage college, university and military
outdoor recreation-and-education programs throughout the United States.
What's your favorite outdoor activity?
My favorite
outdoor activity has to be taking a quiet paddle with a friend up in
Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario-listening to the loons, hearing and
then calling the wolves, all the while watching the night sky explode
with the Northern Lights. No words need to be spoken, but the shared
experience is worth a thousand words-not a bad way to spend an
evening!
You've served as a consultant in the areas of teambuilding and group
dynamics. What types of groups do you consult for and what activities do
you conduct?
For the past several years, I have worked with a
variety of programs, both on and off campus. My clients have included a
number of varsity athletic teams, university departments and private
corporations. I have consulted with a group of CEOs, a management team
from a local nursing home and a group of teachers from a local school
district. The most unique activity had to be the two-day teambuilding
seminar on the Erie Canal in a houseboat. At least I had a captive
audience!
Tell me about the Annual Conference of Outdoor Recreation and
Education that's being held at UB this weekend.
One
word-opportunity! I arranged for UB to host this conference to show off
our community to the rest of the world. I am serious about promoting my
hometown and felt that this event would provide an opportunity to
showcase what a great town we live in. The AORE conference will bring
close to 400 professionals in the field of outdoor recreation and
education together to network and examine the latest research in this
profession. Dozens of workshops are offered, along with presentations
from experts across the globe. This year, we have experts in risk
management, world-record holders in mountain climbing and industry
leaders, such as the president of the American Canoe Association.
Besides the professional side, we offer the opportunity for students to
interact with those professionals and visit a career center. The
conference also fulfills my own selfish desire to show the university
administration that there is a need to expand our outdoor pursuits
programming. We have outstanding venues already in place-after all, how
many universities can boast of having two lakes on campus, a navigable
creek that leads to the Niagara River, woods with trails and an
outstanding natatorium for teaching paddling skills? With the
development of a dedicated outdoor recreation facility, UB could expand
its outdoor programming and receive national acclaim by offering quality
and unique student-life experiences.
Outdoor Pursuits is planning another trip to Alaska next May. Tell
me about it.
Alaska is like no other trip! This is what everyone
that has had the opportunity to take our annual trip to Alaska says once
they have returned. A lifetime of memories are made in a little more
than two weeks. We explore Denali, whitewater raft, fish, horseback ride
up a mountain and find solace along the Denali Highway, where we spend
several days in pure wilderness. Animal sightings are plentiful and
include bear, moose, fox, caribou, porcupine, whale, musk ox, seal,
otter and more. Participants experience the real Alaska by sleeping in
tents each night-not from the side of a ship! Additional details can be
found at http://
www.wings.buffalo.edu/org/outdoorpursuits.