Category: Outdoor Adventures

Mason student is a 2018 Key Log Rolling Champion

It was a busy weekend at Rutgers University as they hosted the 2018 East Coast Key Log Rolling competition last week. With over 40 entries in three different divisions, it was a long day in the pool for all of the competitors!

George Mason University was represented by Derrick Lemmon, a Junior studying Applied Computer Science, who also happens to be the instructor for the Mason Recreation Key Log Rolling class.

The competition began with round robin bouts where participants of each division competed in a best-of-three format to see who would move on to the single elimination bracket.

From there, the goal was simple. Outlast your competitor on the log, and the last person standing is the champion.

We’re proud to announce that Derrick brought a little extra gold back to the Green & Gold nation, when he took home first place in the Men’s collegiate level of the competition.

Competing against 16 others in his division, he is now proud to call himself the 2018 East Coast Key Log Rolling Champion in the Men’s Collegiate Division.

Derrick is the primary instructor for our Key Log Rolling class, which is free to all Mason Recreation members and held at the AFC recreation Pool every Tuesday Night from 8pm – 9pm.

Derrick has been invested in the Mason Rec Key Log Rolling program since he was a freshman, and is working on getting an official Key Log Rolling Club set up.

So far he has a following of 12 participants who are interested in joining this club and has aspirations of bigger and better things for Mason in the world of Key Log Rolling.

This time next year we could see many more Mason students at Key Log Rolling competitions all over the country, and only time will tell if there is another victory in our future.

Stay tuned Patriots and for more information on our Key Log Rolling program, check out our Aquatics homepage!

October Newsletter

October Happenings

Fall ’18 Mason Recreation Power Meet

Do you like to pick heavy things up and put them down? Then test your strength and compete against some of Mason’s finest in our Fall ‘18 Mason Recreation Power Meet. On Oct. 27, the RAC will host bench press, squat and deadlift competitions along with a plethora of sweat and grunts. Click here for more info: Power Meet

FIFA Tournament

Soccer on the pitch isn’t the only type of soccer. On October 10^th, Mason Intramurals and the RAC will host its first E-Gaming Tournament featuring FIFA ’19 on Playstation 4 systems. If you think you got what it takes to be crowned champion, click here to register!

Squash Tournament

Squash combines agility and precision, but Mason Recreation has combined a bracket and prizes for the Squash Tournament! The RAC will host the Squash Tournament from October 15-19, so click here to register!

Halloween Costume Dodgeball Tournament

On Saturday October 27^th, the RAC field will host an all-day dodgeball tournament. Teams of 5v5 will face-off against each other and costumes are encouraged if they will help your offensiveness and elusiveness during the tournament. Don’t dodge this message!

Halloween Night Hike

One could argue college students are too old for dressing up and trick-or-treating, but we aren’t too old to hike in costume! On October 28^th, hike through an old farm and cemetery in the Shenandoah National park in costume, but don’t stray too far off into the night… click here for more Fall ’18 Trips!

Bikerafting Trip

Looking for something to spice up your Wednesday Night? Keep an eye out for the Bikerafting trip Wednesday October 10^th where we will bike from Skyline with all of our gear to a nearby lake to jump on the water before returning home!

September Recap

Rockin’ With REC

As part of the Welcome2Mason Events, Mason Recreation hosted Rockin’ With REC, an event that welcomed new and old faces to the RAC highlighting different platforms under the Mason Recreation umbrella. From fitness demos and club sports to a giant hungry hippos game and a rock wall with s’mores, Rockin’ With REC had something for everyone as the RAC welcomed over 450 students through our doors. Click here for a recap of the fun via our Flickr album and be sure to follow our social media platforms for upcoming giveaways and Mason Recreation events! @GeorgeMasonRec

Splash Night

Our second biggest Welcome2Mason Event, Splash Night, aimed at highlighting all of the Aquatics programming we offer our students, as well as helping us hold onto that summer feeling for as long as possible! The Fall 2018 Splash Night welcomed over 150 students to the AFC to experience an inflatable obstacle course, the new Flow MotionFITT class that tests balance and strength, Key Log Rolling, and giant hamster balls! Click here to see our Flickr album and mark your calendars because Spring ’19 Splash Night is just around the corner!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Be sure to follow our social media platforms for a chance to win prizes and to stay up to date on events where we will be raffling off Mason Recreation swag and other prizes! Click on each picture go to one of our Social Media pages!

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Competitive Sports

We are well into our Fall semester and that is just another sign that Mason Recreation’s Competitive Sports season is underway!

Club Hockey

The Washington Capitals, 2018 Stanley Cup Champions, aren’t the only hockey team in town! After the program’s first ever national tournament berth, Mason club hockey won their preseason game against GW 5-2. The Patriots are set to open up the season against Farmingdale St. on September 28 & 29^th and hope to continue the momentum gained from last year. Stay up to date on their season by click here for their schedule or following their Instagram or twitter @gmuicehockey.

Speaking of not the only hockey team in town, move over boys there’s a new hockey team on campus! Women’s Club Ice Hockey has just been approved for the 2018-2019 season and will be hosting interest meetings and hopeful for games in the spring. If interested contact [email protected] for more information.

Hot Start

Mason Club Football is not only off to a hot start winning their season opener against UNC-Greensboro 20-2, but #3 QB Justin Fenical and #24 DT/G Devin Anderson were named NCFA Offensive and Defensive players of the week! Fenical threw for 2 TDs with 270yds, while Anderson finished with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Mason Football jumps up in the NCFA weekly rankings from being ranked 21^st in preseason polls to 10^th after the UNC-G win. Time will tell if this offense can sustain and if your Patriots continue this hot start! Click here to read more of Justin and Devin!

Ping Pong Tournament

On Wednesday, the RAC and Mason Intramurals hosted a Ping Pong Tournament that yielded over 50 sign-ups. The tournament started at 7:30PM and continued to the early hours of the night with the help of music and heated rallies. However, Carston Sehlke survived some close games and ultimately was crowned ping pong champion!

Fitness

Key Log Rolling Rolls On

Key Log Rolling returns to the aquatics division within Mason Recreation and is looking to make a splash. For those looking to excel, logrolling is part of the Lumberjack World Championships and there is even a U.S. Log Rolling Association, however to those who want to test their balance and challenge their friends’ coordination click here for more information on the Key Log Rolling class in the AFC on Tuesday nights at 8pm!

Flow MotionFITT

Test your core, balance and stamina through a workout all on a paddleboard! The new rage in aquatic fitness is FREE for all Mason students and Rec members and will tone and strengthen your core like never before. Click here for more information or find out every Sunday and Tuesday from 5:30-6:30PM in the Competition Pool in the AFC.

Propelling Patriots

We highly value all of our program participants, Intramural and Club Athletes, and frequent facility users – but we know when it comes down to it, none of what we do would be possible without our All Star Employees! Take a quick moment to recognize our August ’18 Employees of the month! Stop by our facilities and look at our EOM board to read a short bio of each winner.

From Left to Right: Jessie Pugh – Outdoor Adventures, Theresa Scalzo – The EDGE, Emily Holmes – Fitness, Grant Gavette – Marketing, Marla Albanese – AFC, Conor Heanue – Aquatics, Analissa L’Etoile – Outdoor Venues, Elizabeth Perez-Garcia – RAC

Bike Registration Days at Mason

The Mason community gathers together on Bike to Mason Day. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

Bike Registration Days at Mason

Parking and Transportation will be at various locations in September to encourage Mason cyclists to register their bikes. If it’s your first bike being registered with us, we’ll get you signed up and give you a free U-lock, some bike lights, safety information, and more. Be sure to bring your bike as it’s part of the registration process. We’ll be at multiple locations:

Tuesday, 9/4, 4-6pm,Founders Hall Plaza (Arlington Campus)
Thursday, 9/6, 8-10am, at Northern Neck (Fairfax Campus)
Wednesday, 9/12, 4-6pm, outside Innovation Hall (Fairfax Campus)
Thursday, 9/13, 8-10am, Bull Run Hall Front Patio (Science & Technology Campus)
Tuesday, 9/18, 8-10am, outside Ike’s (Fairfax Campus)
Thursday, 9/20, 4-6pm, Founders Hall Plaza (Arlington Campus)
Monday, 9/24, 4-6pm, outside Piedmont (Fairfax Campus)
Tuesday, 9/25, 4-6pm, Beacon Hall Lot (Science & Technology Campus)

Questions? Please contact Janet Walker at [email protected].

The Mason community gathers together on Bike to Mason Day. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services/George Mason University

Sign up for our Wilderness First Aid Course!

Meet our Employee of the Semester and Year!

Packrafting the Shenandoah

This past weekend a group of Mason outdoor adventurers enjoyed a tough multi sport trip hiking and paddling an 18 mile loop along the Shenandoah River. The trip started with loading up the packrafts and necessary boating and camping gear into overnight backpacks. Day One found the group hiking up to, across, and then down the Massanutten Ridge 9 miles to their campsite. A quick mile of hiking in the morning brought us to the river where we switched from backpacking mode to paddling mode and paddled and floated the 8 miles back to our van. The highlight of the paddle being the Class II Compton’s Rapid.