Get a Little Recreation in Your Life

Did you know UCSD students pay recreation fees as part of their registration fees? Make sure to take advantage of all our facilities. We have lots of programs, classes, and events that are available. Go for a swim in Canyonview, play tennis on one of the tennis courts, workout in one of the weight rooms, or join some friends for a game of racquetball.  

Interested in competing with friends in team sports? Create an Intramural Sports Team and participate in flag football, volleyball, dodgeball, team tennis, 3-On-3 basketball, indoor soccer, or team golf. 

Fall Quarter Events

Interested in learning more about Recreation? We will have a table set up at the Student Services Fair, held on Monday, September 19, 12pm – 1:30pm. Come learn about Outback Adventures, FitLife, Rec Classes, Sports Clubs, and so much more. Make sure to look for the Recreation Table. The portable Outback Climbing Wall will be available for climbing as well!

If you don’t get a chance to climb on the portable climbing wall no need to fret. You can stop by the Outback Climbing Center located in the Canyonview Aquatic Center. Climb for Free Week will take place Monday through Friday, September 26 – 30. It’s a great way to meet new people and climb for free (rental equipment not included). 

Pack It In, Pack It Out

The Outback Adventures headquarters is a frenzied explosion of gear, food, maps, and ideas! This is because the WO 2011 staff is currently prepping for all the wonderful trips we have going out this year. Tall Ship Sailing is the first to go out on Friday, followed by Kayaking and Backpacking on Monday.

We have sadly had to cancel a number of trips this season – Surf Session One, Chocolate Mountain Canoe, Baja on Horseback, and now Backpacking Session Two have all been removed from the roster due to low enrollment. However, students still wanting to sign up for a Wo trip may do so at any time – A little late is better than never!

¡Hola, San Diego! We're Back!

The Wilderness Orientation staff has just come back from our week-long kayaking expedition in Baja! After having a short retreat at the Shipwrecks Surf Camp, we arrived in Bahía de los Angeles on Monday August 15^th and started our paddle around the many nooks and crannies of the area. Along the way, we saw whales huffing their way along the horizon, sea turtles bobbing up and down amongst the waves, bat rays flipping out of the water, and even a famed whale shark which swam right in front of our boats.

While we spent most of our time perfecting our leadership and teaching strategies, we enjoyed the 100 degree-plus heat by swimming, flipping over in our kayaks, and stretching out under shade tarps. We also made friends with a pelican and learned how to properly execute a rescue in a thunderstorm. We finished off our trip by sipping lemonade and dining on tasty Mexican cuisine at Guillermo's restaurant back on shore. 

We all look forward now to a great WO season! May the days of prepping begin!

Swimming 101

Swimming in the summer is so cool, but there's more to swimming than just cooling off.  If you are training for a triathlon, rough water swim or pool swim meet, the training routine takes many different 'roads' to success.  In every workout, the UCSD Masters Sports Coaching Staff trains the athletes through all of the energy groups that an athlete might use in their competitive events.  For fitness athletes, we basically train them as if they are actually getting ready for a competition in their favorite sport.  Ya' know, life is a competition, and it's important to be in tip-top shape to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  For swimmers, this means swimming all of the four competitive strokes...butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.  We offer a coaching for those swimmers who don't know all of the strokes, and push those athletes that need to be pushed, to get the most out of their swimming.  It's what's in the water that matters...and we're talking about bodies here, ya know?  Come in for a swim, and see how energized you feel when you're done!  Chek out our schedule at http://recreation.ucsd.edu/Masters.html.

Goin' Nowhere Fast!

It's all about balance and cadence.  Triathletes need to train all three regimes of their sport- swimming, running and biking.  In the UCSD Masters Sports Program, one of the training methods used for cycling is turbo training.  This training routine involves taking your bicycle and placing it on a stationary 'turbo trainer'.  Your bike is fixed on the trainer, and the coach (Head Triathlon/Running Coach Terry Martin) is taking you through a total cycling workout from the warm up, to the main set where you might isolate one leg for a couple of minutes and then use the other one (this is a tough one to do) or cycling at a high  'race pace' speed, to simulate the effect on your body during a triathlon.  Most of the workout is completed to the latest music, with a lot of positive feedback from Terry, to keep everyone on their 'pace' throughout the workout.  If you haven't done any turbo training on your bike, you gotta give it a try!  The turbo workouts are offered on Tuesday evening from 5:15-7:15pm and on Friday morning from 6:00-7:30am.  C'mon out and give it a tri!

Test Set Wednesdays!

There's nothing more challenging than facing a weekly 'test' of your speed and ability, but that's what swimmers and triathletes in the UCSD Masters Sports Program do each and every week.  If you are training for a swimming or triathlon, you need to know how you're  training is going each week.  To help our athletes keep track of their progress, our program offers a weekly 'progress check' in the form of a 'test set'.  Each week these test sets change to give our athletes a variety to choose from, but each week within any given month, the test set is the same, to offer some comparison to previous week's test sets.

If you haven't experienced training that compares your progress each week, c'mon in to a swim workout with the UCSD Masters Sports Program on any Wednesday, and see how you do in our weekly 'test sets'.  You might even like it!  Swim on!

Informal Recreation

Interested in getting some recreation time in? Our recreation facilities are located all over campus! Come join us at RIMAC, Main Gym, Canyonview Aquatic Center, North Campus Recreation track and field, outdoor tennis courts, or any of our other locations. Participating in a recreation activity is the perfect way to alleviate stress from a busy schedule. We look forward to seeing you!

Featuring… Randy Ewing

One of our UCSD Recreation student employees is hard at work providing assistance and support for injured athletes in the winter action sports community. Last Thanksgiving Randy suffered a serious injury while skiing at Mammoth Mountain. After his month long stay in the hospital he had to relearn how to walk and use his hands.

Now back at UCSD, he is dedicated to helping people who have been in his situation but not receiving the tremendous amount of support needed to regain their strength. Randy has teamed up with High Five Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping athletes who have been injured. By teaming up with Red Bull and UCSD Outback Adventures he is able to hold the fundraiser, ‘Get Back At It’, for the High Five Foundation. This event will be held on Thursday, November 10, at 6pm in Price Center Theater. This fun filled event will include a double movie premier featuring The Art of Flight and Rettalack, UCSD student bands, and a raffle. Admission is free for UCSD students and staff and 5 dollars for the public. So make sure to come out on November 10^th and support a great cause!

Masters Swimming

Masters Swimming has provided quality swim workouts to students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding area for over 26 years. Workouts are offered everyday of the week and are both exciting and challenging. The coaching staff has many years of experience in both coaching and competition. Workouts are created to accommodate each athlete’s personal goals. Masters swimming is a great way to get a challenging but fun workout in everyday. Come out and try a class!

Fall Registration

Summer Rec and Fitlife Classes are coming to an end and that means Fall Quarter and Interim classes are right around the corner. Make sure to register for Fall Quarter classes. General registration begins Monday, August 29 at 8am and classes will be available for viewing on Friday, August 26. 

Meet The Beach

The Fourth Annual Meet The Beach will be here next month! Make sure to mark your calendars for Satuday, September 24. You do no want to miss this fun filled day. Meet the Beach is a great way to kick off the school year with a full day of fun events. You can expect a free lunch, surf lessons, pier tours, and lots of other beach activities. No need to worry about a ride, shuttle buses will take you from campus to the beach. Get ready for an exciting day at the beach!  

Wilderness Orientation 2011

Wilderness Orientation starts August 26th this year and the Outback Adventures staff is getting geared up! Down at the Rental Shop, trip equipment is getting prepared, food is getting sorted, and the guides are getting frisky. Everyone is excited to finish off the summer with a tent-full of adventure, camaraderie, and fun.

Our first set of trips include a four-day surf jaunt in Baja California, a four-day tall ship sailing voyage, a week-long backpacking expedition to Kings Canyon National Park, a kayaking tour around Bahia de Los Angeles, and another surfing trip in Baja that lasts a week. After these, another set of week-long kayaking, surf, and backpacking trips go out, as well as the Catalina Island Adventure.

In addition to all of this, we have two trips for Graduate students as well - the Grad School Surf Orientation and the School of Medicine Orientation. These trips last only a weekend but pack just as much punch as the longer trips do.

Because of all these trips going out, the Rental Shop will unfortunately not be renting out any equipment from August 19^th to September 11^th. Outback needs to save up all of our equipment for the WO participants. This being said, if you have any urges to go camping or surfing, go out and do it now before the shop closes its doors.

Happy Camping!

- Outback Adventures

Canyonview Lap Swimming

Summer is a great time to get out and move the workout from indoors to outdoors. What better way to enjoy the summer sun than a swim in Canyonview Pool. The Canyonview Aquatic Center offers many amenities including two outdoor 50 meter by 25 yard Olympic size pools, lounge chairs, water lounge mats, recreation diving, and shallow end basketball. Forgot the necessities like a towel or paddle? No worries, you can now purchase goggles, towels, caps, paddles, fins, aqua joggers, and earplugs at our CV Aqua-Mart located right at the Canyonview front desk. Come over and spend a day at Canyonview relaxing and getting some recreation time in too!

Knock Around Summer Camps 2011

Knock Around is having a very successful summer this year. The children have enjoyed a wide array of activities ranging from arts and crafts to rock climbing and swimming. The daily schedule keeps the children active and having fun from morning until late afternoon! Knock Around has allowed campers the opportunity to learn new skills, develop game strategy, and engage in positive social interactions in a friendly, extended family type of environment. But it’s not only the campers that are having a great summer the counselors having just as much fun. All the camp counselors are UCSD students and have provided an energetic and open atmosphere for the campers. It has been a great summer for Knock Around!