CORE revamps its trips, education and gear for the first time in two years
They’re now open for registration
It’s been two years since the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Education has drastically revamped its inventory and trip schedule to meet student demands.
The resource center under RecSports added local excursions and educational workshops to its Fall lineup of outdoor activities, which opened Wednesday morning. Here’s a look:
Adventure Trips
For the first time this Fall, the Center for Outdoor Recreation and Education will offer trips to Lake Wauburg where students can participate in activities like stand-up paddleboard yoga.
These are some of the resource center’s short trips, which would last a few hours on Thursday’s and Friday’s. Fees range from $5 to $20.
It also features day trips around Florida, which include kayaking at Crystal River and surfing at Jacksonville Beach.
Outings to Valdosta, Georgia, were also added, which would begin with a hike and end in wakeboarding, an activity that hasn’t been offered before, said David DiMauro, the resource center’s program specialist.
“This semester, we’re kind of combining the idea of bringing cool new concepts but also preserving the classics,” said DiMauro.
Two trips to Black Balsam, North Carolina, will run in the Fall. The Backpack Maxpatch would be a multi-day hike in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge mountains and include apple picking.
Gear Rental
Operating hours and new gear were updated at the Center’s warehouse.
UF students can rent gear from its warehouse on campus at 1441 Bledsoe Drive, on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., or from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
With its new partnership with the staff at Lake Wauburg, the resource center is expanding its water sports gear. Last week, it received four new tandem kayaks.
It also added a new fleet of hard-top paddleboards and snorkels, DiMauro said.
Education
The resource center is also launching new workshops.
Some are short, like one that would teach participants to tie knots. Others are longer, like an instructional camping trip to Lake Wauburg that would last overnight. Some courses show students how to use a compass or learn how to map a camping or backpacking trip.
All activities are friendly for beginners, said the Center’s coordinator Amber Larkin.
“I really want to break the stereotype that you have to be an outdoorsy person to have to do anything with CORE,” she said.
