Thursday, January 31, 2013

My First Meeting of the UF Outdoor Adventure Recreation Club

Immediately following my trip to Gregory Bald Mountain, I decided to attend an actual meeting of OAR. At this point, I had been to various club meetings around UF, so I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. The club meets in the lobby of a building within the football stadium, Yon Hall. A random assortment of chairs and a vending machine pretty much describes the entire space. I have since learned that getting a seat in a chair is a rarity at OAR meetings, so I always show up early to secure a spot. Fortunately, my punctuality combined with a concern that I would get lost meant that I was one of the first few people to arrive. At this meeting, I met the club's President, Jeff, and Vice President, Frank, two PhD students who had been in OAR since their undergraduate years. As the youngest sibling (and only girl) in my family by six and eight years, I was used to hanging around with older people. I've realized that most new freshmen are intimidated by the high percentage of grad students in OAR, but I embrace them like I would my own brothers. Jeff's nonchalant mannerisms and relaxed way of running meetings surprised me. There was no powerpoint, no generic speech given, no attendance sheet circling the room. Meeting length fluctuates from 15 minutes to over an hour depending on how many trips have recently happened, how many impending trips there are, and how many people actually show up, which can vary from three to over 30. This one was also rather short, followed up by a trip to Mochi, a fro-yo place, and then hanging out at Kelly's house, one of the members. I had walked to the meeting because my dorm was just down the street, so I got a ride from another member, Andy. He was also a grad student and is now the new president of OAR since Jeff left for Africa in March of 2012 (though Jeff has since returned, he did not resume his position as president despite having held it since at least 2006). Upon arriving at Kelly's, I was attacked with flour. Yes, flour, as in I'm-baking-cookies-and-I-need-some-flour. After running around her house and yard with white clouds exploding everywhere for about 30 minutes, we headed inside and played board games. Not exactly your typical college club meeting, but definitely your typical OAR meeting. Unfortunately, I signed up for Mock Trial in one of my pre-law clubs, so my after-meeting activity attendance was sporadic. Yet, after that first meeting, I never missed another one if I could help it. 

Events occurred: September 29, 2011

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