Fall 2014
THE
Special
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Outdoor Adventure Opinions Climbing Society Beats Guinness World Record The Highs and The Lows Building a Bicycle Friendly Community Discovering Disc Golf Close To Home: Rivers Cooper Lake
THE SPECIAL is an online magazine produced by journalism students at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Content and production are the responsibilities of the students. THE SPECIAL is produced during the fall, spring and summer terms. CONTACT: The Special, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Box 4104, Commerce, Texas 75428. STAFF: Amanda Hein, Travis Hairgrove, Charles Martin, Brenda Perez, Alexis Smith, Jalen Spence FACULTY ADVISER: Fred Stewart (Fred.Stewart@tamuc.edu) Photos are provided by Outdoor Adventure (Texas A&M University-Commerce) 2
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that surrounds the OA building. The gear shop has daily, weekend, and weekly rental agreements for gear like tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, camping stoves, mess kits, hiking poles, kayaks and canoes. Within the gear rental, there is also a bike shop and a cycling club that meets every Tuesday for a 20-mile ride around the surrounding area. Trips and activities are planned and promoted on Outdoor Adventure’s Facebook and Twitter pages By Amanda Heflin and Brenda Perez The Outdoor Adventure program (OA) inspires to inform interested individuals. “I have gone on countless trips with the people through outdoor experiences, to discover new Outdoor Adventure, doing things like kayaking, hiking things, and challenges them to grow as individuals. and mountain biking,” Morris said. “My favorite trip Justin Bryant, Justin Crossland, and Jake Gadbery as so far has to be the skiing trip, last spring break in well as 25 student workers are the brains and muscle Colorado Springs, where I got to snowboard for three behind the operation. days.” There are many moving parts within the “There will also be a bike trail across the street program including “rock climbing wall, challenge opening soon,” Crossland said. course, trips, disc golf, gear rental, a bike shop, and While some students prefer to stay close to bike riding,” Bryant said. home and attend the local events, others have taken “Most people know us for the climbing wall (opened in 2003) in the Rec Center and then we try to trips to Beavers Bend in Oklahoma, gone kayaking in San Marcos and a 4-day Buffalo River canoe trip in push them into other areas as they get familiar with Arkansas with some hiking. that,” Bryant said. Classes offered at A&M–Commerce include Derrick Morris, Texas A&M Universityventure dynamics, climbing, and mountain biking. Commerce student, has become invested with the program, first drawn to the climbing wall. As he spent “In the past there was a back packing and paddling more time and discovered what the Outdoor Adventure class,” Bryant said. program had to offer, he became more interested and began attending more events and soon was deeply involved with the program. The challenge course was completed in 2010 featuring 13 low-challenge course elements and 18 high-ropes course challenges that include dual ziplines, the leap of faith, and the screamer. “The venture dynamics class meets one weekend out of the semester,” Bryant said. “We go into more detail about the equipment and methodology that is involved.” The craziest request is “some people want some things like American Ninja Warrior almost,” Bryant said. “We do still try to keep the education part in it.” Crossland added the education is to enhance the leadership, decision-making, and communication skills of individuals and groups while going through the course or doing different activities. There is a free and open to the public 18-hole disc golf course covering five acres and featuring open fairways and technical holes that cut through the forest
Outdoor Adventure
“My favorite trip so far has to be the skiing trip, last spring break in Colorado Springs, where I got to snowboard for three days.”
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Opinions By: Alexis Smith
Who introduced you to this activity? “My friend introduced me to this activity. It challenges your limits and doesn’t give you an easy way to give up, making you stronger.” - Hunter Hayes “I started rock climbing the walls inside Dick’s Sporting Goods stores. I’ve always been attracted to being able to climb a wall full of rocks, where the only thing holding me up is a string. It’s a daredevil feeling It forces you to carry your own weigh. To have strategies and know your limits, but you push yourself to go to the next step.” - Itali Whitaker
Is the goal to get to the top? “Yes, because it’s an all or nothing venture, and either you’re there or you aren’t in my eyes” - Hunter Hayes “No, actually. Getting above the ground is enough. I just do it to take pictures and have fun with my friends” - Italia Whitaker “Fitness wise, I love climbing to the top. I feel powerful” - Courtney Showels 5
Climbing Society Beats Guinness World Record By: Brenda Perez The Climbing Society at Texas A&M University-Commerce makes up a great part of what is the Outdoor Adventure program. It appeals to a large number of students who love to climb, many of them enjoy to climb competitively. According to their page on ManeSync, the Climbing Society was “created with the purpose of forming a network of students who are interested in rock climbing and bouldering and to provide an environment for students to be a part of a team.” On Jan. 18, 2013 the Climbing Society of A&MCommerce attempted to set a Guinness World Record and in the process earned the university two records. In order to set the first record of “the greatest vertical distance climbed on an artificial climbing wall in 6 hours, team,” the members had to climb a vertical distance of 40,485.6 feet. The Climbing Business Journal online calculates that each of the 12 team members had to climb over the 45 foot climbing wall more than 90 times. The second record earned was for “the fastest time to climb the height of Mount Everest on an indoor climbing wall, team.” The time to beat was 9 hours 58 minutes and 55 seconds, the team beat that in the record time of 4 hours 24 minutes and 33 seconds. The fastest time up the 7
wall was under 5.2 seconds and was achieved by multiple climbers as stated in the Climbing Business Journal online. All ropes and gloves used to climb were retired after each member climbed more than 4,000 feet each. Although the Climbing Society has more members, they selected 12 members to participate based on their agility, balance, endurance and quickness. The team consisted of Andrew Dahir,
4 hours 24 minutes and 33 seconds Hunter Joyce, Kathryn Cotsakis, Will Lian, Dustin Lux, Luke Raper, Deric Moore, Jake Gadbery, Rory Curtin, Dax Havrilak, Tyler King and Austin King. Large crowds gathered over the course of six hours coming and going to watch the team in their attempt. There was also two witnesses present during the climb to verify that no one fell and the length of time of the climb. For any record to be set or beaten by anyone, they must first
send off a request packet to the Guinness World Records, which is headquartered in London, England. According to the Guinness World Record website, once the packet is received, they will then mail attemptees another packet with all information that needs to be carefully documented and sent back to London. The process to verify records is a lengthy one; six weeks for any records that have already been set, 12 weeks for new records. On Aug. 2, 21 weeks after their attempt to beat records, the Climbing Society was notified of their success . “I am very proud of our team and what we were able to accomplish,“ Dahir, team leader in 2013 when the records were won, told KETR. He thanked the Morris Recreation Center, Outdoor Adventures and the Climbing Society, all their efforts combined made the win possible for everyone. The guys at Outdoor Adventure took to Facebook to show their enthusiasm and support for the Climbing Society and their hard work. “Congratulation to the Climbing Society” Outdoor Adventure posted. “Make sure to congratulate everyone on the team and those who helped make this come true.” After asking permission from Roger Greer, the team leaders began organizing the team’s training and strategy, the staff recognized the efforts of the team. “We are very proud of the Climbing Society in reaching this goal,” Greer, faculty adviser in an interview with Taelor Duckworth for Pride Online, said.
The Highs and The Lows By: Jalen Spence Outdoor Adventure has designed their program to accommodate everyone who is interested in their program. Each activity is either a high or low element activity to better suit everyone’s need for adventure. These elements create a bond of trust and responsibility amongst the participants. With names such as the Mohawk Walk and the Nitro Crossing, these low elements provide a workout and help teach responsibility. By putting the participants in an actual outdoor adventure environment, they are able to get a physical connection and will help their interaction with others and gain skills that can be used in the real world. Courses are designed so that those who fear heights can still have the full experience without going too far off the ground. From simplistic activities such as the trust fall, which purpose is too stand on a platform and fall backwards into the awaiting arms of friends. “Some obstacles you may need help or a partner, it’s good to know the person standing to your left and right,” Katie Bailey, an employee of the OAP, said. Activities such as the swinging
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log, involve floating between two log posts. This activity calls for trust between team members, and balance. “The low elements seem easy to accomplish, until you dissect it and realize it’s much harder than it appears,” Bailey said. High element courses are designed for those who want to climb the highest wall or try the most daring activity available. “Indiana Jones,” not to be confused with the movie character, is one of the high element courses available at the Outdoor adventure. This specific course consists of platforms lifted up into the air and each team has to cross the designated platform. Other elements include centipede, which consists of durability and precision throughout the course. The outdoor adventure provides activities and elements to accommodate everyone and their needs. “The high elements are a bit more challenging due to being off the ground and having to work with and trust the people around you,” Bailey said. In advance, all the participants can look on the Outdoor Adventure Program website and get a list of available activities.
Building a Bicycle Friendly Community By: Travis Hairgrove
The basic philosophy of the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) is that “a bike is a ticket to health, mobility, freedom and fun” and that bicycling “isn’t just a way to get from one place to another-it’s an avenue to a better life.” In an effort to get more people on board with this philosophy, LAB encourages and assesses cities and universities based on what they call the “5 E’s” of bicycle friendliness (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation), providing campuses and communities with a means of measuring their degree of “bike-ability.” Although transportation by bicycle is a common sight at Texas A&M University-Commerce, only two Texas universities have made it onto LAB’s list of bicycle friendly universities to date - the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, both of which were first recognized in November 2013. A&M-Commerce may have a long way to go when it comes to satisfying these high standards, but the Outdoor Adventure (OA) program and the University Police Department (UPD) are leading the way in addressing the matters outlined by LAB’s 5 E’s, to help make conditions more conducive to happy bike riding. In regards to the first of those E’s, engineering (or the physical/tangible things on campus that promote cycling), the A&MCommerce Outdoor Adventure Center is home to a full service bicycle repair shop. OA also provides bikes (if needed) for their weekly bike rides. Possibly the most visible example of bike friendly engineering on campus, though, is the
presence of numerous motorized vehicle-free pathways, where not only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed, but also skateboards, rollerblades/roller skates and foot scooters. Bicycle education wise, the A&M-Commerce’s Department of Risk Management and Safety provides a number of helpful cycling safety tips in their Utility Vehicle and Personal Transportation Safety Guidelines Handbook, which can be acquired in Room 119B in the Ferguson Social Sciences Building. OA also offers short riding lessons, before each group bike ride. While these methods of teaching can be helpful, sometimes something more reactionary might make a bigger impression on a student, helping them learn about being better bicyclists. Stanford University, LAB’s highest scoring university in terms of bike-ability, has incentives for bicycle safety classes by offering them as a way for student-cyclists to void out citations and fines they’ve been penalized with, due to moving or parking violations. Encouraging bicycling in the first place is also a big part of LAB’s idea of bicycle friendliness. The aforementioned weekly bike ride (Tuesdays, starting at 5:30 p.m.), led by OA can help people experience enjoyment in cycling, by combining the social aspect of riding in a group with the scenic appeal of riding through wooded back roads. In addition to enforcing traffic laws, UPD strongly suggests that bike owners use an engraver to place a permanent, distinguishing mark somewhere on their bikes to assist them in their investigation, in the event of theft. Engravers are kept at the police department, at
the Residential Living and Learning office, and are available for students to use to mark their valuables. The administrative captain of Texas Tech’s police department, Stephen Hinkle, stressing the importance of reporting stolen bikes early (in an article published in the Nov. 20, 2013 issue of the Daily Toreador), said, “When a bicycle is reported stolen, the police department gathers information about it, such as the brand, color, serial number and any specialized features, then the information is submitted to the Texas Crime Information Center, so if anyone tries to sell or pawn it, the center will show the bicycle was reported stolen.” While A&M-Commerce and the State of Texas in general may be currently underrepresented in the League of American Bicyclists’ lists of bike-friendly universities, cities and states; moves, such as the City of Austin’s welcoming of a public bike-share program, are being made to help make cycling safer and more enjoyable.
Discovering Disc Golf
By Travis Hairgrove
Disc Golf, a flying disc (or Frisbee®) game similar to traditional golf, has enjoyed a sharp rise in popularity over recent decades. The low-impact exercise and stimulating strategy involved in traversing varied terrain by landing flying discs inside metal baskets in as few throws as possible has won over a considerable number of people, resulting in 154 disc golf courses being opened in Texas alone over the last five years (according to dgcoursereview.com). Since 2011, the disc golf course located at the Outdoor Adventure Center in Commerce, has been giving Texas A&M University-Commerce students an opportunity to try this relatively new sport for themselves. Historically, the concept of playing golf with a flying disc goes at least as far back as the first decade of the 20th century. While there are several accounts of people playing golf-like games with thrown pie tins and can lids in those early days, they mostly appear to be isolated instances of recreational play. In 1964, Ed Headrick, who was head of research and development for Wham-O Toys at the time, used a warehouse worth of unused plastic originally intended for the manufacture of Hula-Hoops to make the first modern Frisbees (named in reference to the Frisbie Pie Company). They were an aerodynamic improvement over an earlier plastic flying disc design, the Pluto Platter, as the addition of raised rings around the top gave the Frisbee greater stability in flight. Golf games using Frisbees soon became an increasingly frequent occurrence, leading Wham-O to sponsor its first city-wide disc golf tournament in Newport Beach, Calif. in 1965 at the urging of then Newport Beach Recreation Supervisor Kevin Donnelly. As the popularity of disc golf continued to spread rapidly, Headrick (often considered the “father of disc golf”) developed the now standard chained, metal basket (or “disc pole hole”). In 1975, he designed and installed the first permanent disc golf course in what’s now Hahamongna Park, in Pasadena,
Calif. He also founded the Professional Disk Golf Association PDGA), the Disc Golf Association (DGA) and the Recreational Disc Golf Association (RDGA) to help govern and promote professional, competitive amateur and family-oriented play of the game, respectively. As a final testament to his enthusiasm for flying discs in general and to the game he helped formalize, Headrick requested that his ashes be mixed into the plastic used to make some flying discs, which was indeed done upon his death in 2002. His wife, Farina Headrick, even threw one of the discs containing her late husband’s ashes onto the roof of the PDGA International Disc Golf Center in Columbia County, Georgia in fulfillment of one of Ed Headrick’s recurring jokes, “Old Frisbee players are like old Frisbees... When we die, we don’t go to Purgatory. We just land up on the roof and lay there.”
At A&M-Commerce, the game of disc golf fits well with the Outdoor Adventure program’s mission of “providing superior adventure and educational opportunities, promoting active lifestyles, appreciation for the natural environment, and personal development,” in that it’s often played in locations containing both wooded and open terrains, and (often) water, providing challenging, natural obstacles. The fact that the courses can coexist with existing parks, and that it can be played by people ranging in age from young children to the elderly, makes it a potentially lifelong fitness sport. “The disc golf course gets people out on our grounds. It draws around 50 to 100 different people during a [fall or spring] semester,” graduate assistant for the Outdoor Adventure program, Jake Gadbery said. “Outdoor recreation attracts people, but the popularity is also tied to cost. With one disc running about $10, it’s one of the least expensive sports you can play. When people are here playing disc golf, they see our challenge [obstacle] course, and our bicycle
repair shop and bike trail. They’re just here, having good recreation time, but also getting to see some other outdoor activities they can do.” With “three or four sponsored pro disc golfers at A&M-Commerce,” (according to Gadberry) and the well-attended mini-tournaments being held on the course, the disc golf course at the Outdoor Adventure Center, designed and installed by local disc golf enthusiasts, appears to be poised to make par in the Commerce community, indeed.
Cooper Lake Just 30 minutes from Commerce, Cooper Lake State Park, near Cooper, provides multiple activities for outdoor goers Located in the State Park are the Doctors Creek Unit in Delta County (1664 FR 1529 South Cooper) and the South Sulphur Unit in Northern Hopkins County (1690 FM 3505 Sulphur Springs). Both opened in 1996. The 30.16-square mile lake located within the state park, Jim Chapman Lake (also known as Cooper Lake, but was changed to honor the former congressman), was created by the 1991 Jim Chapman Dam and provides the water supply storage for the North Texas Municipal Water District. Construction on the lake started in 1986 and was completed in 1991 and allowed boats in 1992. Activities at the lake include fishing for blue and channel catfish, bluegill, Florida largemouth bass, crappie, and hybrid striped bass plus swimming boating, and water skiing. Activities off the water include hiking, biking, horseback riding, hunting, wildlife viewing, and camping. There are 3.5 miles of designated hiking trails that are also used for bicycling. Trails are also available for horseback riding on the Buggy Whip Equestrian Trail. This trail is more than 10 miles long and is accessible from all sites in the Buggy Whip camping area. Visitors must bring their own horses and water is not available at any of the wildlife management areas so visitors are advised to bring their own. Hunting is allowed, but hunters must have a valid hunting license, along with the proper tags and stamps, as well as the proper public hunting permit. The permits include Annual Public Hunting Permit (APH), computer drawn permits, and the regular permit. The regular
By: Charles Martin
permits allows for small game hunting. Hunter orange must be worn by hunters and non-hunters at anytime during the daylight hours when hunting with firearms for any species authorized on the unit. The exceptions are turkeys, waterfowl (also allowed by boat), and dove. Public hunting is permitted for white-tail deer (archery only), feral hog, quail, waterfowl, woodcock, gallinule, snipe, rail, frog, rabbit, hare, and squirrel. Wildlife viewing allows visitors to view different types of animals such as turkey, beaver, white-tailed deer, wild hog, coyote, bobcat, squirrel and multiple bird species. Campgrounds are available including shelters, cabins, beaches, picnic areas, boat ramps, two lighted fishing piers, fish-cleaning tables, and opportunities for shoreline fishing.
There are several local rivers that flow through Northeast Texas each with its own history. At 710 miles long, the Trinity River is the longest River flowing through Texas. Originally named “The River of Canoes” by Robert Cavelier de La Salle in 1687, the name was changed three years later ,in 1690, to ‘La Santisima Trinidad” (The Most Holy Trinity) by Alonso De Leon. While flooding has occurred multiple times throughout the recorded history of this river, in May 1908 the worst flood occurred, killing five people, leaving 4,000 people homeless, drowning thousands of livestock and leaving the City of Dallas without power for three days. The flood caused $2.5 million in property damages and left Oak Cliff accessible only by boat. After this flood, the citizens demanded to have a strong concrete bridge to connect from Oak Cliff to Dallas. In 1912 construction of this concrete bridge was completed and, at the time, was the longest concrete structure in the world. Running through Louisiana and Texas, the Sabine River is 510 miles long ending in the Sabine Lake. This river formed part of the United States and Mexico border, as well as, the United States and Republic of Texas international boundary during the early 1800s. The Spanish word “cypress” is where the name “Sabine” came from, mainly due to the growth of “Bald cypresses” along the lower part of the river.
The first use of a ferry was in1794, when land near the east bank was purchased by Louis Chabinan and his family. Louis built the first ferry on the river, which he would run and maintain until he died in 1796 after being thrown from a horse and drowning in the Sabine.
Close To Home: RIVERS BY: CHARLES MARTIN
Steamboats appeared on the river in the 1840s carrying passengers as well as other commodities like cotton. Capt. John Clemmons made the first trip in his steamboat that he had name “Sabine.” Logging started to take off during the late 19th and early 20th century, then petroleum was discovered nearby, which started oil drilling. Oil refineries and chemical plants started to develop near the lower section of the river, which lead to the degradation in the quality of the water. On Jan. 24, 2010, a tanker called the “Eagle Otome” that was carrying the shipment ran into two chemical-carrying barges due to a loss of engine power spilling 450,000 gallons of crude oil into the river.
The Red River (or The Red River of the South) is 1,360 miles long. By the time the Europeans arrive, the Caddo and confederacy dominated the eastern “Piney Woods” next to the river. The center section of the river was dominated by the Tonkawa and the Wichita. The Lipan Apache dominated the Western area of the Red River up until the 18th century when they were invaded by the Comanche. President Thomas Jefferson in 1806 commissioned the “Red River Expedition,” so that they could explore the Louisiana purchase by traveling up the Red River. Thomas Jefferson said, “In truth, next to the Missouri, it is the most interesting water of the Mississippi.” Capt. Henry Miller Shreve was the first person to use a steamboat (The Enterprise) up the Red River. In 1817 when John Quincy Adams was Secretary of State, one of his most important issues was to negotiate with Spain the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase. This negotiation ended with the AdamsOnis Treaty (Treaty of 1819). This treaty defined the boundary between the U.S. and Spain. Now it is the boundary between Oklahoma and Texas.