Crispell is UB's outdoor adventurer
Tennis coach leads Outdoor Pursuits program for those who want to explore wilderness
By
DONNA LONGENECKER
Reporter Assistant Editor
Members
of the UB community looking for a true wilderness adventure—or
those wanting to push the boundaries of their personal limitations—need
look no further than Russ Crispell, men's head tennis coach and coordinator
of the university's Outdoor Pursuits program and veteran outdoorsman.
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Russ
Crispell poses in Whittier, Alaska, overlooking Prince William Sound
and surrounded by the Chugach Mountains. The area is famous for
its calving glaciers and sitings of killer and humpback whales.
Crispell's first trip to Alaska was two years ago and he is leading
a second group of 10 there in a few weeks. |
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Outdoor
Pursuits, which is open to students, staff, faculty, alumni and the
community-at-large, is designed to provide opportunities for wilderness
exploration to both the experienced and novice adventurer. In fact,
Crispell could be called an "adventure specialist," happy to show anyone
why it's important to retreat and learn to recreate—or "re-create"
as he calls it—and revitalize the spirit.
"I'm
a teacher too, I love to open people's eyes to new options—I've
seen the value of this all my life," Crispell said. "It's doing these
things that develops interdependent partnerships. It's a win-win situation."
His
motto is "because adventure frees the spirit," and he's seen the impact
his year-long schedule of backpacking, snowshoeing, canoeing and kayaking
trips and wilderness survival classes has had on students and other
participants, especially those who never had stepped foot on a hiking
trail prior to joining an excursion into the outdoors. He sees these
opportunities as preventative measures against stress and for many,
the beginning of a life-long exploration of the outdoors.
It's
also a great release for students dealing with hectic schedules and
exams. Crispell has seen perfect strangers form the strong bonds of
friendship that the mutual dependence and shared experiences of a wilderness
journey can provide. And as a coach, he uses his knowledge of group
dynamics and team-building to develop leadership skills and foster positive
relationships.
"What
we're there for is to educate kids for life. For example, if you're
going to play tennis or play sports (at the university), after four
years, your sports career is over, but what you've learned those four
years academically will stay with you the rest of your life. And sometimes,
these activities we offer can change a kid's life, can open their eyes,"
he said. "It's the catalyst for major positive change."
He
recounts the experiences of an environmental studies major, who two
years ago, took her first canoe class. Her enthusiasm led to her becoming
a volunteer assistant for the Outdoor Pursuits program and later, a
paid assistant. She now has been hired by Brockport State College to
develop a program similar to the one Crispell runs. "It's amazing what
one, one-credit class can do—the impact is very profound."
His
tennis team hasn't escaped the call to adventure, either. During mid-season,
Crispell has taken team members camping and careening down a river in
the Zoar Valley, facing 8-10 foot swells in Class 4 rapids. Once, during
a conference championship, he offered the team the "rather unique and
purely optional" opportunity to camp out rather than stay in a motel,
which provided a crucial chance for the team to bond. "They talk about
this trip every week—it really had a positive impact on the team,
on their relationships with one another," says Crispell.
From
May 22 to June 5, Crispell and his brother, Herb, a retired physical
education professor, will take a group of 10 on the ultimate adventure—an
excursion into the Alaskan wilderness.
The
group will backpack in Denali National Park, explore the Kenai Peninsula,
sea-kayak in Whittier and the Prince William Sound, and camp on Cook
Inlet overlooking Mount Redoubt, a 10,000 foot volcano. These robust
campers, five whom are over 50, also will explore Fairbanks, bringing
them close to the Arctic Circle, and visit the 100-foot walls of the
Matatanuska Glacier. In addition, the group will pan for gold and fish
for salmon, and just sit back and watch the Northern Lights.
Trips
planned for the fall semester include a backpacking excursion to the
Adirondacks and a "snowflake" canoe paddle in Algonquin Park in Ontario,
where breaking ice with canoe paddles might be part of the experience.
During
the winter, Crispell will lead a snowshoe trip through the Chautuaqua
Gorge. In the spring of 2003, heartier souls can go whitewater rafting
in the Zoar Valley or visit New England on a backpacking tour. And although
plans haven't been firmed up, Crispell hopes to lead a group either
on a Yellowstone Park trip or backpacking in Europe.
Along
with peak experiences in the outdoors, Crispell runs skills clinics
for those who want to learn to roll a kayak or paddle a canoe, as well
as survival training clinics and wilderness first aid and EMT classes.
Crispell has organized a Wilderness First Responder course to be taught
at UB May 17-19 by CDS Inc., a non-profit company that provides in-depth
search-and-rescue and wilderness, medical and survival training. Participants
learn how to deal with everything from minor cuts to major medical emergencies.
For
more information about Outdoor Pursuits' events and classes, visit the
program's Web site at http://wings.buffalo.edu/org/outdoorpursuits
or call 645-6669.
