Special Events

Special Events

• Swim the Pac-12

  January 10-April 17

  The Swim the Pac-12 challenge is a 12-week challenge to complete the route through the Pac-12. Swim the distances between each of the schools in the Pac-12, track your laps and submit the form when you're done. Complete your laps at pools on the WSU Pullman campus or elsewhere!

  Distances vary by level:

  	Pac-12 miles per length	Total Yards
  Beginner	5 miles	18,845
  Intermediate	2 miles	47,110
  Advanced	1 mile	94,225

  Register for Swim the Pac-12

  Contact

  Jared Lindorfer | jared.lindorfer@wsu.edu

• ORC 50th Celebration

  Celebrating 50 years of Coug Adventures

  Thursday, October 28 | 4-7 p.m.

  Outdoor Recreation Center, Pullman | Available via livestream

  Joins us for stories, refreshments and dreams for the future. 

   

  

  Through decades of trips, educational programs, gear rentals, and more, the ORC has given students the resources they need to learn, lead, and connect outside, creating thousands of outdoor enthusiasts in the process. 

  

  Growing Over the Years 

  The center started in 1971 with $600 in funding from ASWSU. Called the Outdoor Activities Program in its early years, the ORC began with a small office in the Physical Education Building run by a quarter-time graduate assistant and student volunteers. The rental “shop” consisted of a single metal cabinet with a few supplies, and the trips were free and largely unguided. 

  From those humble beginnings, ORC has evolved into a hub of outdoor adventure on campus that leads classes and trips for hundreds of students every year. These days, ORC: 

  • Offers over 100 classes, clinics, and trips each year. 
  • Manages and rents over $250,000 of outdoor equipment to students, with about 1200 rentals per year. 
  • Promotes environmental stewardship via Leave No Trace and has issued about 175 certifications annually since 2011.  
  • Hosts a free Palouse Outdoor Festival that introduces 100-200 students to outdoor opportunities in the Palouse each fall. 
  • Manages the Climbing Wall and offers over 100 clinics per year that bring in 22,000 participants. 
  • Manages the Challenge Program and Coug Bikes program. 
  • Met students on campus, at the trailhead, and online during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue facilitating outdoor education and foster belonging.  
  • Hosts a popular annual Photo Contest that typically attracts over 200 entries.  

  You can read more about ORC’s history and impact in the WSU Magazine. 

  Our Future

  Improving Access and Increasing Diversity in the Outdoors 

  In addition to facilitating trips and skill-building clinics, in recent years ORC has invested in multiple initiatives to improve access to outdoor recreation for underserved and underrepresented groups.  

  ORC partners with Cougs Rise to engage low-income and first-generation students in outdoor activities, worked with Access Center to launch adaptive climbing and kayaking, and created women’s programs to make female-identifying students feel welcome and comfortable in the outdoors. 

  ORC has also partnered with organizations to provide custom programs, including a Native American Students Programs stand-up paddle boarding and campout event and rafting and kayaking programs for the School of the Environment. 

   

  Give to future adventures with the ORC

  Throughout its 50 years, ORC’s programs have created space for thousands of Cougs to expand their leadership skills, push their limits, and forge connections in the outdoors. 

  With your support, ORC can continue to offer those transformative opportunities to all Cougs.  

  Giving to the ORC helps expand access to outdoor adventures so that all students, regardless of their ability, experience, or financial status, can explore the outdoors.  

  Your dollars can support a variety of tips and skill-building opportunities: 

  • A $50 donation: Covers a student’s registration for most day trips (for example, stand-up paddle boarding or kayaking on the Snake River, an introductory backcountry skiing course at Moscow Mountain, a Palouse Falls paddle, or a Learn to Climb class). 
  • A $100 donation: Covers a student’s registration for an overnight trip, such as Beginner Backpacking, Women’s Backpacking, and the Priest Lake Kayak Tour. 

  • A $250 donation: Pays a student’s registration for multiday programs like the Wallowas backcountry ski and hut trip, Cascades mountaineering, and wilderness first aid course. 
  • A $500 donation: Covers a student’s registration for an extensive trip such as the eco adventure at Yosemite, southwest desert kayak tour at Lake Powell, backpacking in the Grand Canyon, and the San Juan Islands sea kayak. 
  • A $1,000 donation: Could sponsor a small group trip or a custom program, or provide funding for two students to embark on an extensive trip. 

  Give to the ORC here.

   

• UFit 4.0

  UFit 4.0: Begins January 17

  U-Fit4.0 is a free fitness program created by Cougs, for Cougs. By completing the program and submitting an essay at its conclusion, participants will qualify to win a prize.

  Besides accountability and support, the U-Fit 4.0 exercise program provides weekly workout routines that are targeted towards work capacity, heart rate, range of motion at all major joints, and overall strength. The program will fit any consistent diet plan, whether your goal is to maintain your weight, build muscle or improve fitness. 

  Register by January 31 on your respective page below.

  Contact

  Ramon Sodano | ramon_sodano@wsu.edu

  Devon Turner | devon.turner@wsu.edu

   

  

  Undergrad Students

  Participation requirements and registration info for Pullman undergraduate students, sponsored by ASWSU.

  View Undergrad Details

  

  Graduate Students

  Program requirements, details, and registration info for graduate students, sponsored by GPSA.

  View Graduate Student Details

  

  Global Students

  Program details and registration info for Global campus students, provided by ASWSU Global.

  View Global Student Details

Future events:

• Sweat the Stress | Dec. 13 - 17, 2021

  Free Fitness Classes during sweat the stress.  Check back for more information and the complete Sweat the Stress schedule.

• Weekend of Welcome | Jan. 8 - 9, 2022

  Join your fellow Cougs to kick off the spring semester as WSU welcomes you to campus.  Check back for more information for all of the programs and services. 

• All Access Week | Jan. 10 - 16, 2022

  Join UREC as we kick off the spring semester.  Free classes and activities all week long.  Check back for more information and the list of activities.

• Swim the Pac-12 | Jan 10- April 17, 2022

  Swim the Pac-12 is a challenge to motivate swimmers of all levels to move to the pools for fitness. Participants can water walk, aqua-jog, or swim their way through the challenge - the main point is to get in the water and enjoy the benefits of swimming! You have twelve weeks (January 10-April 17) to complete any of the routes through the Pac-12. Distances have been calculated based on general distances from campus to campus. Participants are responsible for logging their progress on the downloadable excel sheet that you will have access to after completing registration. There are three routes to choose from: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.

• Intramural Beach Day | TBD, April 2022

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