Posted by Alena Colborn on Monday, August 28, 2017 in News.

Linda Rosenkranz, an Assistant Director at the Vanderbilt Recreation and Wellness of Outdoor Recreation, started at Vanderbilt University in August of 1989. The then “Student Recreation Center” was under construction, and she was tasked with creating the Outdoor Recreation program. Through the early years, the equipment rental center operated out of the Student Recreation Center, and offered only small general camping and backpacking gear. The indoor rock climbing wall, equipment rental, and adventure trips became quite popular with the Vanderbilt community, and by 1993 they completely outgrew the space that the Student Recreation Center had to offer. This led to a great need for the Outdoor Recreation program to have its own space.

In 1997, the Outdoor Recreation Center was built with an open air canoe and kayak shed along Children’s Way. Now, 20 years later, there is hardly any room for any more equipment! The ORC has been well funded over the past 20 years and that has enabled them to purchase quality equipment. They employ a student staff each year and they help to clean and maintain the equipment. The ORC rents the basics for camping and backpacking. It also offers caving gear and climbing helmets and shoes for rent. The boat inventory includes:  canoes, touring kayaks, sit-on-top kayaks, whitewater kayaks, whitewater canoes, tandem kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP’s).

Join the Recreation and Wellness Center and the Outdoor Recreation program staff to celebrate Outdoor Recreation Center’s 20th Anniversary on Monday, September 4th, from 3-6 pm, at a free cookout! Meet trip leaders, tour the Outdoor Recreation Center, and learn more about the Outdoor Recreation program while enjoying free hotdogs and corn on the cob.