Plastic tarps, dish detergent and a giant hill formed no ordinary Slip ’n Slide at the Outdoor Rec Fest on Saturday.
This one was “pro-level.”
“It’s hard core,” said sophomore Heather Ekstrom, who works for UNC’s Outdoor Education Center, which hosted the event. “Technique is involved, and a real determination and willingness to have the time of your life.”
The Slip ’n Slide was only one of the activities in which students participated at the center. The festival also included beach volleyball, tennis, disc golf and a 1,200-foot zip line.
Over the course of five hours, more than 250 students attended the event, climbing ropes courses and sliding across the lawn while the center provided hot dogs and music.
The event was held for the first time to introduce and inform students about activities the outdoor center has to offer.
“I just hope it makes people aware that (the center) is out here, that all these different recreation opportunities are right here on campus,” said David Rogers, director of the Outdoor Education Center’s challenge course.
The center, which is part of Campus Recreation, is a 20-acre green space located within 10 minutes of the Student Union off Country Club Road. Its mission is to provide students with a local place to enjoy the outdoors, Ekstrom said.
The activities at the Rec Fest introduced students to some of what the center has to offer.
The zip line, which participants tried for free Saturday, is part of the challenge course. It includes high- and low-ropes courses aimed to help team building.
Businesses and clubs often participate in the challenge course, Ekstrom said, but for about $15 a person, any group of up to 15 students can try the course.
The challenge course allows groups to work together in navigating physical and mental challenges in an unfamiliar environment, which encourages alternative problem solving and creative thinking. Past participants include the women’s basketball team, the Morehead-Cain Foundation, Campus Y and ROTC groups.
The center also has an expedition program, which allows students to take outdoor trips during the school year and summers. For a fee, the program provides gear, food and transportation.
The center also sponsors the disc golf club, which plays on the facility’s 18-hole course.
“It’s very challenging and very scenic,” Ekstrom said.
Many students who attended the Rec Fest said they are now interested in participating in more outdoor activities.
“I’d love to do the excursion trips,” freshman Kara Singsank said. She learned about the event through the Week of Welcome brochure and decided to attend with her roommate.
Freshman Hannah Walters, who wasn’t aware of the center’s existence before the event, said she would use the tennis courts this year.
“I wish more people were here to take advantage of it,” she said. “I think it’s well stocked. It has a lot of different resources.”
Rogers said he hopes to make the festival an annual event.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
UNC's Outdoor Education Center promotes its many programs
Kyla Basher enjoys the water in a gigantic Slip ‘n Slide created specifically for the Campus Rec Outdoor Rec Fest.
