Many people will have multiple jobs throughout their lifetime. However, one of the jobs that some people think is the easiest thing in the world is actually a lot more difficult then it seems. For anyone who has never tried to officiate - they will not know what I am talking about. Although officiating can be fun and enjoyable it can turn in a second when a team doesn’t get the call they’re looking for. [More]

RUN@WORK Day is promoted by the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and 2012 will mark its seventh year. The RRCA was started to promote adults engaging in 30 minutes of exercise a day and to encourage employers to be supportive of that goal. WSU is an employer that excels at promoting health and wellbeing for both its students and employees. Are you are interested in participating in the Pullman campus event? [More]

After returning from 11 days of climbing, backpacking and kayaking, I needed a couple of down days to recharge the batteries.  Now that I am fully recharged, and have a little down time, I can tell you all about this amazing Outdoor Recreation Center led adventure.  The first few days of the trip we did some water preparation and climbing.  Since we were all starting from ground zero and building skills within a curriculum, the ORC staff had us learn some basic safety procedures and water rescue scenarios in the Gibb Pool on campus.  Conducting this training in a pool setting allowed for us students to get comfortable with the skills in a safe environment.  After we completed a number of ways to right and enter a kayak or canoe in open water, we made our way to the climbing wall to learn some basic climbing skills and how to set-up a climbing area properly when leading a trip.  The instructors were great at explaining not only how to get an area ready for climbing and the proper way to wear equipment, but they gave us reasons why this way is important for safety and uniformity within ORC trips.  Each of our trainers taught these tasks a little differently and in their own unique way, while maintaining the basic principles.  This type of continuity and cohesion from the staff gave us students a vision of how we should be working in the future.  The following morning we gathered at the ORC, packed our gear and headed out to Granite Point for some outdoor rock climbing.  While on the way, roughly a 40-min drive, the instructors didn’t waste time, they gave us information regarding what to do during emergencies at Granite Point and showed us a couple of different launch points for kayaking trips the ORC leads throughout the year.  Once we arrived at Granite Point, we gathered the gear and made our way up to the climbing location.  A helmet area was designated first to ensure safety while the top ropes wer... [More]

Most people are unaware of the holiday that occurs on the third Thursday in April every year.  Nearly everyone you and I know has participated in the gesture ans is one of my personal favorites... the louder the slap, the better.   If the slap didn’t give it away, I am talking about National High Five Day.  I know this may sound like a joke and may it not receive national recognition, but National High Five Day was established in 2002 and promotes the spread of as many high-fives as possible. I find it truly amazing how the simple gesture of raising your hand and saying “high-five” will inspire other people to slap your hand.  When was the last time you randomly high-fived?  Since it is one of my favorite things to do, I high-five all the time.  I have high-fived my co-workers about 5 times since I started writing this blog, which means I should probably focus on writing and less on high-fives, but they are so fun!  The reason I have so much love for the high-five is because it reminds me of my friends, being a kid and so many good times throughout my life.  More recently, a group of us went to the Gorge for the Dave Matthews Band concert and went around giving high-fives to people all weekend.  Nearly everyone reciprocated the high-five and those who did had a big smile on their face.  That’s proof enough for me that high-fiving is a key to happiness. In preperation for National High-Five Day, take it upon yourself to spread the word and prep your hands for excess high-fiving.  If you are thinking this is a dumb idea, just think about all the high-fives in your past and remember the way you feel high-fiving your friends, teammates and even strangers.  That’s right, you remember that smile on your face, so share the feeling and participate in National High Five Day!  

  In my previous post Blood Donation Preparation (http://urec.wsu.edu/urecnews/post/2012/04/04/Blood-Donation-Preparation.aspx) I discussed my difficulties donating blood.  I mentioned I would follow-up today with my progress.  So my co-worker, Megan, and I compared our veins in the video below. As you’ll see in the video my veins are still too small and I think I’ll sit out the blood drive today but there’s hope.  The Student Recreation Center (SRC) is hosting a blood drive on April 12.  So with six days of preparation I think I’ll have a better shot!

It doesn’t come as a surprise to me when I hear University Recreation (UREC) is one of the largest student employers on the WSU Pullman campus.  But sometimes I’m surprised by the variety of jobs offered to students.  For instance, Bryan Mclaughlin works for the UREC Marketing Department.  Okay, so that one isn’t too surprising because that’s my department too, but we’ll periodically post about different UREC employees and what their jobs involve. For now I’ll just expand on my co-workers duties and how UREC plays a role in his life. As I swiveled around to the cubicle on my left to interview Bryan I noticed him concentrating on a project in Adobe InDesign and I almost lost my nerve.  InDesign is foreign software to me and I don’t know how much focus is needed to successfully finish a project.  There was no need to worry, as I started to ask if this was a good time he swiveled around with a smile to agree.  I began with a descriptive question about his duties, which turned out to be a bit harder to answer than I assumed, there are so many different aspects to his job but so as his final answer he said, “I create an official look for UREC, by designing a template for the facility signs.”  Bryan hasn’t always done the same job with UREC; however it has been his only employer while at WSU.  Bryan’s 2 years of work for UREC also include time spent with membership. Outside of work Bryan spends a big chunk of his time being active.  “Fitness plays a huge role in keeping me mentally and emotionally balanced, being an athlete I participate in a lot of physical activities.”  You can find him outside running, playing soccer or throwing around the Frisbee. Nothing lit up his face more than talking about outdoor adventures.  Bryan appreciates exploring the outdoors by, “Going on overnight hiking trips, outdoor camping, that kind of thing.&rd... [More]