With the addition of a new full-time employee at the Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness, the gym has been able to increase participation in its outdoor adventure club, Natural High.
Lucia Anderson, the Weinstein Center's new outdoor and facilities coordinator, has devoted this semester to growing Natural High. The club focuses on planning fun outdoor trips around the Richmond area for students, which include whitewater rafting, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, paintball and indoor rock climbing, Anderson said. "It's a great way for students to take a break from class, get outside and really explore Richmond," she said.
In previous years, the responsibilities for the outdoor adventure program had been split among multiple employees at the Weinstein Center, including Anderson as an interim employee, she said. But with the introduction of the full-time position, Natural High has been able to double the number of outdoor trips per semester, increasing from four or five trips to nine trips this fall, as well as nine trips next spring, Anderson said.
Already this semester, the club has had three kayaking trips, a stand-up paddle board trip and a hike, Anderson said. The trips for the rest of the semester include whitewater rafting, another day hike, disc golf and a Halloween night climbing event. Next spring will include paintball, a ski trip to Wintergreen and a visit to Jumpology Trampoline Arena.
The trips are open to any member of the Weinstein Center, Anderson said, which includes students, faculty, staff and community members. Subsidized by the Weinstein Center, the trips cost between $5 and $25, she said, and usually have a 10- to 25-person capacity. Anyone interested in participating can register at the Member Services desk at the Weinstein Center, or email Natural High at OutdoorAdventure@richmond.edu.
Contact reporter Mia Webber at mia.webber@richmond.edu
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