by Jared Crain, Campus Carrier Deputy News Editor
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| Bailey Albertson | CAMPUS CARRIER |
With 27,000 acres of outdoor opportunity, Berry fits the bill to compete in the “Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge (ONCC),” which commenced this past Sunday.
Sophomore Berry Outdoor Leadership Development (BOLD) facilitator Arielle Mindigo said that the ONCC is a nationwide challenge among 90 schools, and these schools range from smaller colleges like Berry to larger institutions and universities like Virginia Tech, TCU, and Ohio State.
The idea for Berry to participate in the ONCC started with Assistant Director of Recreation, Amanda Highfield.
“I heard about the Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge through a professional organization called Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education,” Highfield said.
The challenge would be a great way to get the Outdoor Program at Berry more involved, so the idea was passed on to the student facilitators who got the ball rolling.
Mindigo explained that the purpose of the challenge is to get college students outdoors, at least for the next six weeks, in order to build positive habits and awareness concerning outdoor health and recreation nationwide.
“People can participate in the challenge when they get the Outdoor Nation app,” Mindigo said. “Through this app, students at different colleges and universities are able to take a picture of themselves participating in an outdoor activity, share it on the app and be entered in for prizes.”
The Outdoor Nation app also displays leaderboards both for individual students and colleges.
By the end of the six weeks, prizes will be awarded to the individual with the most points overall, to the school with the most points overall and to the individual from each school with the most points.
“If we win the title of ‘Most Outdoorsy School,’ Berry will receive a trophy as well as $2,000 toward the Outdoor Recreation Department,” Mindigo said.
McLain Miller, a junior BOLD facilitator, further explained that all activities logged must be 30 minutes, and more difficult activites like hiking count towards more points than walking or hammocking.
Activities that count toward point values logged into the app can be personal activities done on one’s own time, or they can be planned events with Berry. Students can log events like KCAB’s tubing down the Etowah River or like BOLD’s upcoming hike to the Reservoir.
The Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge prizes are appropriately contributed by well-known organizations affiliated with the outdoors.
“Each week is sponsored by at least two organizations for all 90 schools,” Mindigo explained. “REI is sponsoring the first two weeks, but future weeks will be sponsored by organizations like Chaco and North Face.”
The sponsors send in different prizes from their company each week, which can be found on the ONCC website.
The BOLD facilitators believe that the ONCC will encourage students nationwide to go outdoors to experience nature over the next six weeks as well as develop healthier outdoor habits in the future.
BOLD facilitators Katy Felker and Alex Crouchman said that afterwards, students will have a better idea of the resources they have in the outdoors.
“People will see the campus and all the potential it has for each individual,” said Felker. “People will know what’s there.”