Stephen F. Austin State University

Volume 4, Issue 3 May - July 2013

Fishing for WorshamBe a part of the first ever Campus

Recreation Alumni Bass Tournamentbenefiting the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship

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SFA Baseball Club earns bid to National Championship tournament

in first year as a Sport Club Page 9

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Letter from the Director

1817 Wilson Drive • Nacogdoches, Texas 75962Phone: (936) 468-3507 • campusrec@sfasu.edu

Spring 2013Campus Recreation Staff

Ken MortonDirector

Janice CasperOffice Manager

Kelley ConsfordAdministrative Asst.

Scott WagnerFacilities &

Member Services

Kate BridgesFitness & Wellness

Cody KuykendallIntramural Sports,

& Camps

Evan CoulsonOutdoor Pursuits

Suzie HeffernanAquatics & Special Events

Travis LankfordSport Clubs & Camps

Kati Van DunkPromotions & Sponsorships

Welcome to the latest edition of the Rec Insider!

The end of the school year brings both happiness and a touch of sadness. We are happy to wrap up another school year of programs and services to students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We are also happy to see our graduating GAs move on to fantastic new career opportunities, but we are sad to see them go and will miss them tremendously.

Congratulations go out to our GAs as they start the next leg of their journey. Chrystina Wyatt has accepted a position as the Assistant Director for Fitness at the University of Texas. Steve Dooling has accepted a position as the Coordinator of Operations at the University of Houston. Nathan Rector has accepted a position as a Trip Guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). We wish them the very best!

You’ll see inside this issue that Campus Recreation is hosting an Alumni Bass Tournament this summer to benefit the Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship. We hope that many of you will be a part of this exciting event. And remember, if you can’t be a part of this event, you can still be a part of giving back to the scholarship as explained at the end of this newsletter.

We also have exciting things happening in Sport Clubs, a chance to hear from past employees and participants, and short bio on one of our newest staff members. I will also give a heads up that an exciting change is coming soon to Campus Recreation. I can’t reveal the big news yet, but we will be adding something significant to our program this summer.

So stay tuned and enjoy the end of spring before the heat really sets in!

Axe’Em Jacks!

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IMPORTANT EVENTS

Family Night Splash Bash scheduled for Friday, May 17Campus Rec will be hosting a family night at the Student Red Center on Friday, May 17, from 5pm to 7pm. The entire Rec facility, including the gym, outdoor pool, and courtyard will be available for those in attendance. There will be inflatables for the kids to enjoy, as well as snacks. For the adults, free massages will be available, courtesy of the Fitness Program.

This event is open to current Rec members, as well as SFA faculty, staff, and SFA Alumni Association members, and their dependents and spouses.

Registration information and coupons for Little Jack Rec Camp and private and group swim lessons will be available at this event.

Campus Recreation strives to promote physical, emotional, intellectual, socio-cultural, environmental, spiritual, and career/financial health for all who participate. You can see how each of our program areas enhances each of these areas of wellness in the

2012-2013 Calendar on our website at www.sfasu.edu/campusrec.

Like us on FacebookCampus Recreation- SFA Rec Center

Follow us on TwitterSFACampusRec

Read our blogwww.sfasucampusrec.blogspot.com

Watch our videos on YouTubeSFACampusRec

Summer Pool Memberships now available at the RecCampus Rec is offering “pool only” memberships for those who wish to use the outdoor pool and courtyard, but do not want to purchase a membership to the entire facility. This membership is available for current SFA faculty/staff, SFA students not enrolled for the summer, and members of the SFA Alumni Association.

For more information on Summer Pool Memberships, please visit the Campus Recreation website at www.sfasu.edu/campusrec.

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Fishingfor the next generation

SFA Alumni Bass Tournament will help to endow the Campus Recreation annual scholarship for student employees.

On Saturday, June 29, 2013, at safe light, boats will leave the dock in search of the big catch at the first ever Alumni Bass Tournament, hosted by the Stephen F. Austin State University Campus Recreation Department and the SFA Alumni Association. The event will raise funds to help endow the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship for the Campus Recreation Department.

The bass fishing tournament will take place at the Jackson Hill Park and Marina on Lake Sam Rayburn in Broaddus, Texas. The tournament is open to anyone who enjoys bass fishing and wants to help support the students of SFA.

The Campus Recreation Alumni Committee is in charge of planning the event, which they hope will help raise enough money to endow the scholarship in the allotted time frame.

The committee decided on a fishing tournament due to East Texas being such a popular bass fishing location and because many SFA alumni and area residents are active in the sport.“Sam Rayburn is a great bass fishing location, and we feel this

will be a great event for not only helping out with the scholarship, but for engaging the community as well,” says committee chair Kati Van Dunk, “Dr. Worsham has contributed so much to our program and has impacted so many lives that we feel many will come out to fish for this cause.”

For more on Dr. Worsham and the scholarship in his name, see Page 10.

Campus Recreation hopes that this will become an annual event that will grow each year and benefit both SFA and the community, as well as help alumni stay connected to the program.

“There are a lot of alumni living close enough to participate in this tournament, and we would love to give them a chance to reconnect with each other and stay connected to Dr. Worsham’s legacy and commitment to excellence that drives Campus Recreation and its programs,” notes Van Dunk.

Not only will supporters of Dr. Worsham be in attendance at the event, but members of the

SFA Bass Fishing club will also be fishing for the cause.

“This is a great opportunity for our club to not only gain exposure for their program, but also interact with the community,” says Travis Lankford, Sport Club Coordinator and Campus Rec Alumni Committee member, “They are looking forward to being a part of this fun event.”

The cost for the tournament will be $80 per boat, with an optional $50 side pot. A cash prize will be given to first place, with second place, third place, and big bass receiving prize packages.

To register for the Alumni Bass Tournament, please visit the SFA Alumni Association website at www.sfaalumni.com.

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Proceeds benefit the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship for SFA Campus Recreation student staff.

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Kate has a true passion for fitness and overall health, which brought her from Colorado to Nacogdoches, Texas.

Campus Rec became a part of her life beginning at Oregon State University, where she spent her entire time as an undergraduate working for Campus Recreation. Kate started as a lifeguard, which then led up to her working within fitness and wellness. Her involvement within Campus Rec during her time as an undergraduate gave her important experiences she has brought with her throughout her career.

Encouraging others to live a healthy and positive lifestyle is something in which Kate excels. She continues to grow

as a professional by attending national conferences and updating her certifications of being a coach, trainer and Group Exercise instructor. This also helps keep her up-to-date with new ways of staying fit. She also credits her students with helping her continue to grow by supporting and encouraging their ideas for fitness and wellness.

Kate’s desire is to grow the SFA Fitness and Wellness Program as a whole. The student staff is her main concern, as she feels that if she focuses on bringing in staff who are passionate about the wellness of others and are willing to work hard, it will allow the program to grow tremendously. Every day, Kate brings with her a positive and passionate energy to inspire her staff to also give one hundred percent, not just by having good attitudes, but by bringing in new ideas and trying new programs, creating excitement toward overall fitness and wellness.

Meet our new staff member!Kate Bridges - Fitness and Wellness Coordinator

In her free time, Kate loves to be very active. She enjoys running, hiking and lifting weights. Kate also loves to cook, always trying new recipes.

FUN FACTS

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

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FITNESS AND WELLNESS

With today’s fitness trends aiming towards a new, functional, innovative, gut-busting, and high-intensity workout, people have been gravitating towards the P90x/Insanity/CrossFit-type workouts to give them that

tough workout feeling. Workouts like P90x, Insanity, and CrossFit are all designed to help push oneself both mentally and physically by racing against the clock, with the goal of completing the most amount of work (repetitions) in that allotted time frame.

This is an awesome way to not only get a good workout for the body, but also for the mind by pushing yourself past mental barriers you didn’t know you had. These workouts are marketed to individuals of any fitness level, although they seem to benefit those with minimal to expert levels of fitness, leaving the average, everyday individual left watching on the sidelines. That is until 2005, when the TRX Suspension Training System hit the market.

The TRX System is a suspension training system composed of adjustable straps with handles that is anchored to something sturdy above head level. It was designed by former US Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick to help he and his fellow comrades stay in peak physical condition with limited areas of space. The TRX System promotes multi-planar, multi-joint exercises, which mimic real-life movements to make it a truly functional training system. It allows you to use your own body weight against gravity. By simply adjusting the position of your body, the level of difficulty will change, making it appropriate for individuals of all fitness levels. Personal trainers have begun to utilize the TRX System for the simple reason of its convenience and adaptability to any client’s fitness level. It is becoming so mainstream that fitness facilities are incorporating rooms and areas specifically designated for TRX Systems to help appease clientele. They are even beginning to offer group exercise classes using the suspension system.

Why use TRX?• It builds truly functional strength.• It allows a wide range of bodyweight-training movements for the entire body through multi-planar and multi-joint exercises.• It helps improve flexibility, balance, and core stability simultaneously. • It can be used anywhere (park, room, gym, fence, etc.), anytime, by anybody.

Whether you are an elite athlete looking for that extra push, a recreational athlete looking for a challenge mentally and physically, or an everyday individual looking to just get back in shape, today’s fitness trends can be adapted to your specific goals and needs.

For exercise suggestions and more information, visit www.trxtraining.com/train/exercises.

FITNESS TRENDS TODAY: HOW THEY FIT WITH YOUR INDIVIDUAL GOALS

TRX SuspensionTraining System

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Jason and Rachel O’Mara attended SFA as graduate assistants, both graduating in May 2009 and receiving a Master’s degree in Kinesiology. Rachel worked as the Graduate Assistant for Aquatics, Safety, and Camps from 2007 to 2009. Jason worked under Fitness and Wellness as the Graduate Assistant from 2008 to 2009.

Rachel noted that having weekly Head Guard meetings with her lifeguards was her best experience in her time at SFA Campus Rec. She enjoyed talking about professional development topics in the Head Guard binder with “the most awesome staff ever” and always looked forward to it.

Jason said his favorite memory of SFA Campus Rec was “beating the full time staff in the pedometer challenge and having them wash our cars.”

When asked how working at Campus Rec helped prepare them for their future careers, Rachel and Jason responded, “As graduate assistants, we were treated very much like professional staff members. We were given opportunities to try new things and learn from our mistakes. It really helped give us a leg up when interviewing for professional positions, because we had examples of actually doing things to talk about and pull from.”

Rachel’s advice to current employees is to “take advantage of all of the opportunities provided to you.” She adds, “You will be able to use the skills you learn at Campus Rec in every career path.”

Jason advises current student staff to “learn to cherish every moment you have at SFA Campus Rec because it will help build the foundation of your career more than you know.”

Jason and Rachel married in 2010 and are currently living in Houston. They have recently added on to their family, welcoming daughter Alexandra into their home in April.

Rachel is currently the Aquatics Coordinator at the University of Houston, and Jason works as a Fitness Specialist at the city of Pearland.

BLAST FROM THE PASTWhere They Are Now

An update on former Campus Rec employees

If you are a former Campus Rec employee or participant and want to be featured in this newsletter, please contact us at campusrec@sfasu.edu or 936-468-5844. Please include your experiences working at SFA Campus Recreation and what you’ve been doing since your time at SFA. If possible, please also include a recent picture. Page 7

Where Are YOU NOW?An update on former Intramural participants

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If you have team pictures from your time at SFA and want to be featured in this newsletter, please contact us at campusrec@sfasu.edu or 936-468-5844. Please include names of your teammates if possible, as well as any other information about the picture, event, date, etc.

James “Jimmy” Crow attended SFA from 1985 to 1989 as an undergraduate and received a degree in History and English. He stayed at SFA for graduate school from 1989 to 1991 to study History. While in school, Crow worked for a T-shirt company, University Sportswear. He planned on going to Law School at the University of Houston, but ended up staying in Nacogdoches starting Tattoo Productions after University Sportswear went out of business in 1991 and has been working there for 21 years since.

Crow was involved in SFA Intramural Sports for Theta Chi from 1986 to 1990. According to Crow, the Fraternity had two teams in all the major team sports including flag football, softball, volleyball, basketball, and flickerball.

“I was always on the B teams because I wasn’t good enough to be on the A team and the B team was more fun and less competitive. We were always in the race for overall champs, so the A teams was obsessed with winning. The B team, not so much.”

Crow personally participated in flag football, softball, and flickerball. He also played individual and dual sports such as pickleball, washers, and horsehoes, which he found out about through working Saturdays with friend Robbie Smith at the Intramural CAGE (where sports equipment was checked out). Crow remembers pickleball as being his favorite individual sport. Flickerball was Crow’s favorite team sport.

“My roommate at the Fraternity house and I were co-captains of the B team, and when we were seniors, we beat our Theta Chi A team in bracket play. The way we reacted, you would have thought we won the Super Bowl and the Olympic gold medal, all at the same time. We made the playoffs and got beat (badly) by them in the playoffs. I think they won the tournament; they may have been beaten by the LOTT Goats.” Crow also remembers Theta Chi winning Intramural flag football over the LOTT Goats in 1986. He notes, “I remember being really nervous before the final game, and I wasn’t even playing in it.”

During his graduate time at SFA, Crow even played for the LOTT Goats that his Fraternity had competed against so frequently. He says,” I was never on a championship team until I was in graduate school. I had a friend that was a Kinesiology grad student and the quarterback for the LOTT Goats flag football team. He got me on the team and we won easily (not because of me). I wish I still had that shirt.”

Crow says he still stays in contact with a lot of the guys he played Intramurals with while at SFA, but he said he wishes “we had iPhones back then, because almost no one took pictures because it cost money to develop the film.” He notes that some of his former teammates still live in Nacogdoches - Gary Russell, Jeff Summers, John Green - and lot more live all over the world.

1983 2nd Place Theta Chi Flag Football Team

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Sport ClubsNOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Want to get in touch with old club members? Please e-mail us at campusrec@sfasu.edu or call 936-468-1434 and give us some details about your experience with the club program, when you were a part of the club, and who you are looking for. We will do everything we can to help.

SFA Baseball Club earns bid to National Championship in first yearThe Baseball club is still finishing strong in the National Club Baseball Association Division VII. This season, the team has beaten teams including Sam Houston State University, A&M Corp Cadets, TCU, and most recently, Rice University. SFA played Rice in Houston May 4-5 for the District VII Championship, winning the series 5-3, 1-3, 5-2.

This means the club will compete in the 2013 NCBA Division II World Series Tournament in Kentucky as the #6 seed. They will face #3 seed Northeastern at 1:10pm on May 17.

For more information on the NCBA World Series, or to check in on SFA’s progress, please visit www.clubbaseball.org/Div2/Default.aspx

Beep Baseball starting to make some noiseBeep Baseball is a sport for the visually impaired, and in some cases, the non-impaired. The game is played with an over-sized, modified softball. While being blindfolded, batters can only hear the ball as it is thrown across the plate.

SFA’s Beep Baseball Club competed in Nacogdoches against the Tyler Tigers on Saturday, April 27. The Tigers won 11-6 but invited four of SFA’s players to compete with them in the 2013 NBBA World Series this July in Georgia.

SFA hosts annual Sport Club Banquet to honor clubs and achievements

On May 2, all twenty-one SFA Sport Clubs were honored at the 2013 Sport Club Banquet. Sport Club Coordinator Travis Lankford emceed the event, noting outstanding accomplishments from some of the clubs, including the Bass team’s 7th place finish at the National Tournament, Rugby’s semifinal finish in the season playoffs, and Baseball’s bid to the National Championship.

The following awards were given:Officer of the Year: Kyle Turner, Bass FishingSport Club of the Year: TennisMember of the Year: Heyley Hodson, TennisRookie Club of the Year: Baseball

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Sport Clubs Donate to the

Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship FundThe Campus Recreation Department is excited to announce the creation of the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship is created to provide financial assistance to current student employees of the Campus Recreation Department.

Dr. Raymond “Ray” Worsham was the Intramural Department Director at SFA for 43 years prior to the creation of the Campus Recreation Department. Dr. Worsham was the keystone to the Intramural Department for more than four decades and his dedication and lasting impact is something that we will celebrate for decades to come with the creation of this scholarship. Under Dr. Worsham, intramural sports flourished to the highest numbers the program has ever seen. Thousands of students spent nights playing on the intramural fields, in the HPE and around campus over Dr. Worsham’s tenure. The strong intramural tradition lives on through our current sport offerings, THE intramural champ shirt, the contact we have with former student athletes in the program and we are privileged to honor him with this scholarship.

For more information about the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Endowed Scholarship, please contact Janice Casper, Campus Recreation Office Manager at jcasper@sfasu.edu or call 936-468-1569.

If you would like to donate to the Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship Fund, please follow these simple steps:

1. Visit www.sfaalumni.com/donations/2. Select “Donate Online” next to SFA Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.3. Select Alumni Scholarship Fund as the donation type and specify “Dr. Raymond Lee Worsham Scholarship.”4. Complete all required information.5. Submit your donation.

You can also join the Alumni Interest Chapter on the SFA Alumni website to follow Nacogdoches Alumni Chapter events.