Outdoor program challenges incoming YSU freshmen

By Denise Dick | July 30, 2011 at 12:03a.m.

Youngstown

Ashley Martof of Mineral Ridge kept smiling even as her legs wobbled, walking across the ropes suspended inside the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Martoff was one of 10 students participating in Youngstown State University’s Freshman Outdoor Recreation Experience. The event for incoming YSU freshmen runs through today.

“My legs felt like Jello,” she said.

The students braved the high ropes course Friday afternoon, walking across floating balance beams, ropes and tires strung together, all suspended about 16 feet above the gymnasium floor. Each wore a harness to guard against mishaps.

Ashley said the tires were the hardest part of the rope course because there’s nothing to steady them and they sway as climbers walk across.

“You need a lot of upper-body strength,” she said.

Michael Bowman, administrative assistant for YSU’s campus recreation and student programming, said this marks the third year for the FORE program, which runs again Aug. 19-20.

“It gives them the opportunity to meet other incoming students and to make friends,” he said.

The students were to spend the night in the wellness center and spend today kayaking along the Mahoning River from Lowellville into Pennsylvania. Climbing the rock wall inside the center and a geocaching scavenger hunt through the YSU campus also were on the program agenda.

Not all of the students are up for the rope course, and Bowman doesn’t push.

“It’s normal to feel a little bit nervous,” Bowman said. “You have to learn to deal with things in life that make you uncomfortable.”

Lucas Jones of Mineral Ridge said the tire portion of the rope course was the most challenging.

“I didn’t know a guy could do a split like that,” he joked.

Dennis Pixley of Youngstown decided to skip the tire portion of the course, but walking across the two ropes posed enough of an obstacle.

“There really wasn’t anything to hold on to,” Pixley said.