Blog

Written by Katy Ward, Outdoor Adventure Manager

The river. Complexly magnificent. It does not matter which river; they are all majestic in their own ways. The way the water flows, the rocks that have found their places at the bottom, the trees that seem to be holding onto the edges of the banks, the fish that frequent the shallows—each aspect is individually beautiful. But, together they paint a vivid masterpiece.  It seems now with our phones, screens, and constant communication that we have a harder time connecting with natural spaces. We want to take the quick picture and post about the experience. I would challenge each of you to soak up your next experience using all 5 senses. Rivers and water can be so comforting, and I hope you are able to get out on one and practice this wellness exercise!

Look
When you come to a river edge, take a minute. Look around. Watch as the water moves around the rocks and fallen trees. See the sparkle of the sun reflecting off the river. Gaze upon the breeze as it blows through the trees and bushes. Is the water fast? Or is it a nice steady flow? Is it crystal clear or a little murky? Watch the dragonflies dart around, only resting for a moment at a time … Read More

Written by Danielle Ledgerwood and Hayley Swenski, Intramural Sports Staff

Whether you’re about to spend the next hour crushing it in the Training Loft, or you have an indoor soccer game at 7 p.m. — your nutrition matters! Next time you’re heading out to exercise, or you just finished an intense game of volleyball, consider some of these healthy and effective snacks.

Pre-Workout
These are some snack ideas to give you the energy you need to power through anything. Ideally, eat one of these 30-60 minutes before you plan to exercise.
Trail mix

You can customize this however you want! Include dried fruit, seeds, a grain (cheerios, pretzels, popcorn), and almonds, and you’re good to go! Trail mix is a great source of protein, fat, carbs, and fiber before a workout.

Greek yogurt, fruit and granola

This snack is both cheap and effective. It’s also incredibly customizable — add what you want for fast, metabolizing protein and fat. The fruit and granola also add a great carb source to keep you full and energized for your workout.

Energy bites

Easy to store and grab on the go for an extra boost of energy. Make sure to make these ahead of time, and let them cool in your fridge. You can find plenty of recipes on the internet, but this is a great one.

Post-Workout
After you finish up, you’re going … Read More

Written by Kimberly Counts, Barn Staff

Have you ever looked at a horse and wondered what they might be thinking? Horses communicate in mysterious ways, but if you look closely, you can figure out what they are trying to tell you.

Sounds
Horses are generally very expressive creatures who have an interesting way of telling you what they’re thinking! They have a unique system to communicate amongst themselves and people. I’m sure you’ve heard a horse whinny, but do you know what it means? Whinnying and neighing are a horse’s way of letting you know what they are feeling or telling you they want something. These sounds can mean a variety of things like: “I’m hungry,” “Take me outside,” or “Pay attention to me!” If you walk through the Liberty Mountain Equestrian Center around 4:30 P.M., you will hear a chorus of whinnies from hungry horses demanding their food. If we happen to be even a few minutes late, we have about 50 hungry horses telling us it’s time to eat! Horses thrive on a schedule and are quick to learn what time things get done.
Another way they can “talk” to us is through snorting. A snort generally means they’re alarmed by something, and it can be their way of assessing the situation. For the most part, the snorts are … Read More

Written by Maria Campanella, Facility Manager at Hydaway Outdoor Center

It is officially summer and although things have been different surrounding our world lately, we are blessed enough to still get outside. In my opinion, the perfect pairing to an outdoor activity is ice cream, so I have compiled a short list of trips near Lynchburg that I have paired with a local ice cream shop for afterwards. This is a great beginner’s guide to the outdoor activities Lynchburg has to offer and the classic ice cream places as well.

Fly Fishing & MayLynn’s
One of the first trips we took as a group was to Hunting Creek for a fly fishing trip. Many of us were beginners, so don’t worry, it can be done! If you are a complete beginner and have no idea where to start, Angler’s Lane located in Lynchburg offers guided trips for people of all experience levels. Hunting Creek is a great location to learn and experience fly fishing for the first time as well. If you want to learn more, here is a great YouTube video to get you started!
MayLynn’s Creamery is well known for being one of Lynchburg’s best! You have two locations to pick from: their truck in Boonsboro or the shop location in downtown Lynchburg. Both locations are great and … Read More

Written by Hope Thompson, Range Supervisor

There are moments when we wish we could decide on something to do as fast as Phineas with a, “Ferb, I know what we’re going to do today!”. Well good news, there are plenty of options for you to spend your day up at Liberty Mountain Gun Club! Located directly across from Hydaway, LMGC is a recreational shooting venue available to current students, staff, and faculty and caters to both new and experienced shooters alike.

So, What Does a First Visit Look Like?
For new shooters or first-time visitors to the Liberty Mountain Gun Club, there are always friendly faces ready to help you learn about the ranges or any other questions you may have. The staff at LMGC strive to make sure every customer is comfortable and following the four main safety rules. When you first enter the facility to check-in, you watch a four-minute safety video and sign an Assumption of Risk form. After that, you will be all set to check out and start your range time or game! Liberty Mountain Gun Club typically offers a variety of different rental options if you don’t have your own firearms, which include Ruger Mark IV pistols (.22 caliber), Ruger 10/22’s, and Beretta over-under shotguns (12 & 20 gauge).  In addition to the … Read More

Written by Victoria Dissmore, Marketing Employee

It’s bowling night with your hall at the Montview Bowling Alley, and you want to do something besides a normal game. But what’s this? Your roommate has stumbled upon variations to the classic game on your lane’s bowling screen. Bowlin’ Hood? Monster Factory? Last Pin Standing? These will for sure give bowling night a refresher!

Skill & Classic Games
Start by asking the attendants at the desk to set up your lane as a timed game as opposed to by number of games. These special games are only available under timed mode. Once you get to your lane and input all players into the system, follow these directions:

Tap “Your Lane Your Way” at the top right side of the screen.
Choose “Skill & Classic Games” (third option down, on the left).
Choose which of the eight variations your group wants to play, touch the checkmark, and start bowling!

These games are simple variations on the classic bowling game, with different scoring rules and rules on which pins to hit. For an overview of each game, read on below!
3-6-9
Named because the system will insert an automatic strike in the 3rd, 6th, and 9th frames, this version will make your games faster and help you achieve a higher score.
The 3-6-9 default frames can be changed to any other … Read More

Written by Tim Lewis, Assistant Director of Outdoor Adventure

This summer we visited NROCKS Outdoor Adventures in West Virginia to tackle the Via Ferrata. Privately owned by NROCKS, the Via Ferrata at Nelson Rocks is a climbing and traversing adventure using steel rungs and cables to move up the rock face rather than climbing on the rock itself. The term “via ferrata” is an Italian word simply meaning “iron path.” Via Ferratas trace their heritage back to WWI when soldiers constructed them to quickly move across the Italian Alps.
Today they are a popular recreational pastime for the thrill-seeking adventurer. While the climbing does not require a specialized skill for climbing technique, choosing appropriate routes, or placing hardware, it does demand a certain level of physical and mental equilibrium, a skill essential to any climber and outdoor enthusiast.

The Via Ferrata
Upon arrival at the NROCKS lodge, we met our guide who framed the day for us and provided us with a thorough safety briefing. Next we harnessed up and grabbed our double set of carabiners and made our way to the cliff face. After a short, yet steep hike, we came to the base of Nelson Rocks where we discovered the conspicuous steel rungs and cables spiraling up the cliff face and out of sight.
The first section introduced us … Read More

Written by Victoria Dissmore, Marketing Employee

Snowflex… The Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre. You may have gone up for a fun event, or to go tubing, or to jump on the trampoline. But if you’ve ever skied or snowboarded or even sledded on the eponymous white carpet-y material, you may have wondered, what even is Snowflex?

Snowflex is…
According to the official website of the company that invented the artificial snow surface, Snowflex is made up of six layers from top to bottom:

Snowflex composite, sliding component—slick, springy, hard wearing monofilament
2 in.–5 cm. shock absorbing layer
Impervious membrane
Geotextile separating layer
Carefully selected gravel layer
Sculpted sub-soil layer

Let’s Break That Down

If you’re like me, you have no idea what a lot of these mean. Thankfully, the Internet is a helpful and easily accessible resource for deciphering some of the more technical terms.
Polymer Composite
The Snowflex composite is made of a material called a polymer composite, which is “a multi-phase material in which reinforcing fillers are integrated with a polymer matrix, resulting in synergistic mechanical properties that cannot be achieved from either component alone.”[1]
Basically, this material is a large number of similar units bonded together at the molecular level (that’s a polymer) that are then mixed with another material (making the composite). All this is made into a monofilament, which is simply a single strand of the … Read More

Written by Tanner Hoffarth, Marketing Employee

I’ve been wanting to take my ping pong game from 0-100 so I can ace my friends and family in some friendly competition. After doing a bit of research, I found some tips and tricks on how to up your ping pong game that you can take to the table.
First Things First: Spin
Spin in the game of ping-pong is essential. As a beginner, it can come off as very daunting but once understood can improve your play immensely. In ping-pong there are many different forms of spin, but right now we will cover the top three techniques.
Topspin
The first spin and the most common out of them all is topspin. Topspin can make the ball seem as if it is attracted to the table and can be a great way to keep the ball low on the bounce.
Backspin
The second spin that is great to learn to up your game is backspin. Backspin is a great way to begin to layer your strategy because when done well, it can completely change the speed of the game. When kept low, backspin can make the ball act as if the table is made of ice and slide. When the ball is … Read More