The Nerney Field House also known as the Dixon Center hosts a number of outdoor recreational activities for students. Every Wednesday there are designated vans that offer to take students rock climbing and to Skyzone to enjoy a few hours of exercise and socializing.
Orlin Jesperson, assistant director for athletics and recreation, started the outdoor activities at Cabrini about 10 years ago.
“When I first got here there weren’t any outdoor activities, like outdoor adventure type [activities],” Jesperson said. “I started looking at things like that because I used to do that when I was in college. I found the climbing gym within the first year or two and I talked with that about getting students up there regularly.”
Jesperson states that it was affordable to put the activities in his budget and make it free for students and try to give them something to do.
Skyzone is also free to attend on Wednesdays and is located right next to the rock climbing gym, making it convenient for students who may want to do one or the other.
There is no minimum requirement for students that want to go to Skyzone or the rock climbing gym. However, there are two vans that take students that limit how many students can attend.
Student Jared Hansken, freshman undecided major, recommends having the right people when attending the activity. “It can be boring and fun at the same time. It all depends on who you’re with,” Hansken said.
“I went once with two people and we went to Skyzone but it was fun,” Deanna Riley, junior Criminology, Social and Biology major, said. “I would prefer rock climbing though because I used to do it a lot when I was younger and it’s more of a thrill. I would most likely go again if a bunch of people just wanted to hang out.”
Freshman accounting major, Hugo Ballon, states that he enjoyed his experience with his friends at Skyzone. “It’s a fun free activity that the school offers so why not do it?” Ballon said. “I prefer Skyzone because you can do flips and engage in activities like dodgeball and basketball. I’d definitely go again.”
Among the weekly outdoor recreational activities, there are other activities that students can get involved with. The programs are hosted on Saturdays and Sundays and are scattered throughout the semester depending on the schedule.
Activities include a ski mountain trip, hiking, paintball, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, kayaking and paddle boarding and archery. These activities are not free but Jesperson has made the trips affordable for all students that are interested in joining.
Jesperson also hosts intramural activities and you can find out more information at the Cabrini recreational site.
