Mason Recreation

Patriot Pack Out 2015

 

With the end of the academic year right around the corner, it is time for the annual Patriot Pack Out!!! We will once again be collecting gently-used clothing, small appliances and non-perishable food items to reduce clutter on landfills and lend a helping hand to others in the Mason and Fairfax communities! This year our donation recipients will be the Mason Food Pantry and Goodwill of Greater Washington (Fairfax County locations). Last year our students, faculty and staff donated OVER 10,000lbs of food, clothing and small appliances and we need your help to do even better in 2015! We are seeking assistance from students, faculty and staff in two specific ways:

  • Donate Your Items – what better reason for a little spring cleaning than to support Patriot Pack Out!? Collection bins will be available May 6th-18th in all of our residential communities listed on the advertisement above. Collection bins can be found at all three 24-hr Neighborhood Desks (Piedmont/Tidewater – main entrance facing Fenwick Library, Eisenhower Hall – directly next to Ike’s Dining Hall, and Whitetop Hall – near Lots H and I) to provide convenient access to all faculty, staff and students.

 

  • Form (or Join) a Volunteer Collection Team – the success of Patriot Pack Out is dependent on the time and energy of our amazing volunteer teams! This is a great opportunity to spend some time out in the beautiful spring weather and have fun with some colleagues!  Volunteer Teams are comprised of 4-8 members of Mason students, staff and/or faculty. Volunteer Teams will collect donated clothing, small appliances and food from all of the donation sites and help us deliver them to our on-campus storage area. Each volunteer team will be accompanied by staff members from Mason Recycling & Waste Management who will transport all donations. Collection routes begin at 9:30am and 1:00pm during most weekdays of Patriot Pack Out and will typically last 1.5-2 hours.

Team Captains can sign up for their preferred day/time at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4eaca72aabf58-patriot. For individuals interested in volunteering that do not have a team of 4 or more, please contact Christian Barber at cbarber6@gmu.edu and we will get you paired up with another group! Team captains will receive a confirmation e-mail with additional information prior to the start of Patriot Pack Out.

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Patriot Pack Out is coordinated by a planning committee comprised of representatives from various offices from across campus. Please feel free to send any questions or requests for more information to Christian Barber at cbarber6@gmu.edu.

Graduating Senior Will Adams

Will-Adams-150x150

Will never met a sport he didn’t like.   From swimming, soccer and cross country, to flag football, handball, and dodgeball, he’s participated in many, if not most, sports.   But where did it all begin?

Will credits his grandfather, Papa, as being his biggest inspiration and motivation.  During his childhood, he spent every summer with his grandparents in Fairfax, Virginia, where he learned how to swim.   At the age of 6, he started swimming for the Commonwealth Swim & Tennis Club where he spent all day, every day at the pool.

As he grew and became a stronger swimmer, he won three summer league coaches awards for being an all-around good athlete, a good sport, a team player and a help to the coaches and swimmers.  As early as 8 years old, he declared he would one day coach for the Club, and at 19, that declaration came true and he coached the Club’s team for two years.  In addition to summer league swimming and coaching, he swam for his high school and lettered all four years as well as earning MVP his senior year.

Will was also successful in cross country earning the nickname “Will the Thrill” his junior year.  He continued to improve and lettered all 4 years as well as receiving the titles of most improved and all area honorable mention his junior year.

In addition to swimming and cross country, Will played soccer.  He started playing at the age of 4, and continued through high school where he earned most improved during his sophomore year and lettered his junior and senior years.  He continued playing soccer for Mason’s intramural soccer team and played all four years.  Will says, “I’m an energetic guy.  I think I’ve played every intramural sport offered!  And I’ve been told I have a good sense of humor.  I want to have fun in everything I do.”

But his love of sports doesn’t stop there.  In addition to playing, he officiates every sport offered by Intramurals and is certified to officiate contact football for JV, freshman and pee wee in Northern Virginia through the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association.

Will is currently working as an Intramural Program Assistant and supervises officials.  He’s been accepted as a Graduate Assistant for Intramurals at the University at Albany in the fall.  He’s not positive what his field of study will be, but he thinks he’ll do something in education.

Will graduates in May with a BFA – concentration in painting.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Mason Crew Club Hosts Successful Spring Regatta

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Crew members Priit Grabbi and Will Meeker with Coach Bob Spousta breaking ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although Sandy Run Regional Park’s water  was iced over until just a few weeks ago, and no races were held due to icing and strong winds, Mason’s Crew Club was still able to host a successful regatta and claim four Club medals!   Occoquan Sprints hosted 120 entries from 19 schools along the east coast, making it one of the largest annual athletic events hosted by Mason.  Teams from as far away as New York and South Carolina attended.

Preparation for the regatta was extensive.  Since no other teams held their usual races prior the Sprints, current rowers and alums spent 8 hours Friday, 12 hours Saturday and 4 hours Sunday moving everything into place.  Coach Spousta says they spent at least 100 man hours getting everything set up.

Coxswain Kassidy Kenney, a junior majoring in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Operations Research, supervised the set up of start platforms all three days.  She explains, “The platforms have to be put into place and anchored so that the race boats are straight to start the race.  That means everything we do has to be secure and precise.”

The 29 rower’s and coxswain’s hard work paid off with a successful regatta.  After “heats”, composed of up to six boats, determined what teams would compete in the finals, Mason Crew Club medaled in four out of four finals.

Coming in first place for Mason were men’s V8+, men’s V4+ and men’s Novice 4+.  Men’s lightweight V4+ and men’s JV8+ came in second place.  Men’s Novice 8+ received a third place.

Kassidy commented, “In addition to the prep work we did, the parents were involved with selling t shirts, timing races, videotaping and photographing teams, and cheering for their rowers.  It was one big team effort.”  She adds, “Not only did we do well as a team, the event went well overall.”  She adds,   “Hosting a successful event is important so that teams will continue to want to come.  We’re really happy it ran as well as it did.”

Men's V4+
Men’s Varsity 4+ Sam Gallerano, Billy Colbert, Kassidy Kenney, Will Meeker, Lucas Wilks and Bob Spousta

 

by Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

team photo courtesy of Priit Grabbi

Graduating Senior Estefania Luna

Estefania Luna
Estefania Luna 

Estefania is more than meets the eye.  Beneath her calm exterior is a committed and driven young lady.

After regularly working out in the Mason Rec facilities since being a freshman, Estefania applied for the Customer Service Associate and was hired as a CSA 1.  She soon moved up to be a CSA 2 and this spring, she took on the role of MOD to round out her customer service work.

With her work in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Organizational Administration through New Century College, Estefania feels like she’s been able to use her studies to help in her work for Mason Rec.  She explains, “I feel like Mason Recreation empowers their student employees and helps them grow as leaders both professionally and personally.  They take a special interest in developing us as leaders. I’ve seen how my leadership style impacts staff and guests and I’ve learned that every action has a reaction.”

She adds, “I work with great people.  I love coming to work.  I’ve been working since I was 15 and this is the only place I can say I wanted to come to work every day.” Her hard work paid off as last fall she received the honor of employee of the semester.

But there’s a side to Estefania that some might not know about.

Estefania moved from Mexico to America with her parents as a 7-year-old.  Here, she and her family quickly blended into the American way of life.  She says the longer they were here, the more they lost their culture.

To learn more about being Latino, as a freshman, Estefania joined the Hispanic Student Association (HSA).  After her freshman year, she decided to take on a more active role, so during her sophomore year she shadowed some of the executive board members during their event planning.  Her junior year she became Historian and this year she serves as Vice President.  The HSA Board meets weekly to plan events including community service and educational activities such as International Week and an annual HSA gala for families to experience their students receiving their stoles.

Estefania feels the HSA educates and connects Latino students to each other and to their culture.  She says, “Some students are first generation, and some have simply lost their culture since coming to America.  The HSA wants to make sure they keep their Hispanic culture alive.”

Through her work with Mason Rec and the HSA, Estefania says she’s enjoyed her time at Mason.  She says she sees herself as a professional in the corporate world someday.   Until then, she’s open to where life takes her.

Estefania graduates in May with a degree in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Organizational Administration.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Graduating Senior Brian Money

Brian-Money-150x150Refereeing is in his blood.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Brian began refereeing basketball games at the age of 14. He had a real knack for it, so he continued to referee for rec leagues and local high school games through high school and into college.  During his junior year at Mason, he was offered a position as a referee for Mason Rec.  He accepted and eventually became Intramural Program Assistant.

As an Intramural Program Assistant, Brian had the opportunity to get involved with NIRSA and applied to be an official for a University of Georgia basketball tournament.  His application was accepted making him the first basketball official from Mason to step outside the tristate area for many years.

During the summer of 2014 Brian was rated a full varsity official by Cardinal Officials Basketball Association and attended the learning camp (Stripes Academy) for the National Basketball Association. That fall, he was one of only two officials selected from Mason for a University of Maryland NCS Regional tournament as well as for a tournament at the University of Central Florida in 2015.

In addition to his officiating accomplishments, Brian is currently the Intramural Sports Intern.  His responsibilities include organizing a VRSA basketball tournament, organizing the Mason Open Golf Tournament, and taking the lead in training for Mason Rec officials.

After graduation, Brian says he wants to take some time off to improve his resume’ and to figure out what he really wants to do.  He plans on taking classes and continuing to work.  He thinks he’ll eventually apply for graduate assistantships in sports marketing or competitive sports.  He explains, “My degree is really a business degree that’s industry specific.  I want to eventually get my MBA in marketing and then maybe attend law school.  I think I’d like to stay in higher education or corporate.”

Brian says, “I have mentors who I look up to.  Jeremy Hans, our Intramural Coordinator, has been like a brother to me.  I got the opportunity to speak at VRSA with Jeremy and it was a great experience. I’ve learned a lot from him.”  He adds, “I think it’s about building relationships and connecting so that you can get a leg up.  Through Mason Rec and getting the chance to work in NIRSA and with VRSA, I’ve been able to make those connections.”

Brian graduates in May with a degree in RHT with concentration in Sports Management.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

To Be Happy or Not to Be Happy: That is the Question

happiness

by Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Do you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is think about how bad your day will be? Or do you wake up ready to face the day no matter what comes your way? Research is beginning to show that your outlook, whether positive or negative, can affect your productivity in school, at work, and at home. Your creativity, intelligence, problem solving skills, and energy level can all be increased by bringing positivity into your life.

No matter what’s happening in your life, positive things are all around you. The challenge is to look for them. While you need to accept that negative or bad things happen, you can also think about how you can learn from your circumstances to avoid wallowing in despair. There really is no glory in being gloomy. After a negative event in life it might feel good to wallow for a while, but staying in that mood can bring down your productivity, grades, energy level and more. You can choose to continue to feel bad or you can work toward moving toward a more positive outlook.

In the midst of feeling low, how do you make the transition from gloomy to happy? Several techniques have been shown to help.

  • Exercise has been proven to elevate mood. The more you move, the more you benefit from the physiological and psychological changes that occur. In fact, both exercise and the emotion of happiness elevates hormones in your brain that make you more susceptible to learning and creativity! Exercise doesn’t have to be extreme. A good walk can make a big difference in clearing your mind and resetting your mood.
  • It might seem counter-intuitive, but write down things you’re grateful for or that make you happy. Called a gratitude journal, these bits of positivity during difficult times show you where positivity exists in your life so you can face your hard times with a better frame of mind.
  • Take time during the day to reflect on one or more things that bring you joy. It can be as simple as how good your morning cup of coffee, juice, etc. tastes. Sometimes the simplest things can bring us the greatest joy! Stopping to reflect is a good practice to remind you of all the good in your life.
  • Change your outlook. It’s easy to find fault or negative in just about everything. Instead of looking for bad, look for the positive or don’t make any judgment at all. If you have a problem, simply consider it as something to solve and determine a way to get through it.
  • Remember you’re not alone. Even if you’re physically alone, many others have gone through what you’re going through and have come out on the other end OK.

Sometimes finding joy or happiness can be a challenge. Sometimes really heavy things happen where it feels like you might never be happy again. Sometimes you’ll feel sad, angry, grumpy, happy, etc. Take time to process how you’re feeling and why. It could be that you’re grumpy because you’re hungry! You might feel sad because you’re hearing a song in the background that reminds you of something sad from your past. Whatever the emotion is your ability to move into and out of your emotions will help you to be more satisfied and content.

So choose happy! It’s really easier to do than you think!

The United Nations National Day of Happiness is Friday, March 20.  George Mason University is one of 40 organizations across the globe to be recognized participants!  Sign the Happiness Wall in the JC to participate.  Be there at 3:10pm for a live feed from the wall.  #happyacts

Graduating Senior – Jonno Flukes

Jonnocropped
Jonno Flukes grew up in Boston in an area of town one might call “at risk”. While he played basketball and baseball from the age of 6 up, he found a real affinity for boxing while in high school. He says boxing comes naturally to him, probably due to it being a family tradition: one of his uncles was a Golden Gloves winner.  Since boxing isn’t available at Mason, he fills his time with studying, working out, playing sports and working for Mason Recreation.

Upon arrival at Mason in Fall 2011, he began working out and playing basketball at Skyline. He says that’s where he made many of his close friends. Then once intramurals began, he joined and played everything from basketball, soccer and flag football, to softball and handball. He says intramural sports give kids the opportunity to play competitively as well as having a chance to play and learn sports they may never have played. Jonno says he’d never played handball until he tried it at Mason Rec.

In addition to participating in intramurals, he’s been a Customer Service Assistant (CSA), a practicum student, a program assistant and is currently an intern for Mason Recreation as well as a weekend and substitute Manager on Duty (MOD). As an intern, in addition to many other responsibilities, he’s involved with coordinating the group hiring session. Based on his positive experience with Mason Recreation, he wants the group hiring session to emphasize the various work opportunities available to student employees in addition to the monetary benefits most students are interested in.

Jonno says he began working for Mason Recreation just to make money. Soon after, he realized all the growth opportunities available. In addition to being on several committees, and working closely with full time staff, he did a presentation at NIRSA’s regional conference on transferable skills learned while working in recreation facilities. He says Mason Recreation opened his eyes to career opportunities he would never have considered before.

After graduation, Jonno plans on becoming more competitive in boxing and he says he wants to coach youth boxing. He plans to work with youth as a side job at first and will eventually turn it into a full time career. His ultimate goal is to run an inner-city non-profit recreation program for at risk teens. Jonno says, “Since I grew up in an area that was at risk, I saw many teens turn to drugs. I think I can provide alternatives to that lifestyle.”

He adds, “Boxing is available to everyone. Anyone can go to a boxing gym and start from wherever they are. If they practice for a month they see improvements. When they see results, it keeps them coming back.  Working one-on-one with teens provides an even more focused workout. It almost always guarantees success.  I want to show kids they can be successful.”

Jonno graduates in May with a degree in Sports Management.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT