Adams thinks big for University’s co-rec program

Kent State graduate Jameson Adams began his career at the University in May after being given the job of recreational sports programming coordinator.

He works with intramural sports, outdoor adventures and club sports at the University.

The Talon asked Adams about his job and the future of rec sports at the University.

Where are you from and what brought you here?

I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I was working at a school in upstate New York when I saw the posting for this job. I came to interview in March and officially started in May.

What was your major in college?

I went to Kent State in Kent, Ohio. My undergraduate degree was in sport management, and my graduate degree was in sport and recreation management.

Is this what you saw yourself doing after graduation?

I knew that I wanted to be in the recreation field, but while I was in graduate school I was involved with the golf industry and thought I was going to work for a major equipment manufacturer. I interviewed for a position there but didn’t get the job, so I get back into campus recreation and coaching baseball. This is actually the first year I haven’t coached.

What does Rec Sports do for the student body?

It does anything and everything. We can touch every student’s life whether a student likes to play disc golf, just wants to come in and get a workout, was a former athlete and wants to play flag football, or just wants to come to our Wellness Education class every third Thursday of the month. We offer different opportunities for every kind of student.

Tell me about the ski trip that is schedule for January.

A group of 42 students, four faculty members and two drivers will leave late on Jan. 4 headed toward Durango, Colo. Our first stop will be in Amarillo where we will eat breakfast, change drivers and head straight through Albuquerque, NM to Durango. Students have the option of skiing/snowboarding for two or three days, then head back. We are staying at Durango Mountain Resort in some rented condos. There is a full service kitchen so when we stop for groceries, you can get everything you would need to cook so you won’t have to leave the mountain for food. It is going to be an annual event.

What are some of your personal long-term goals?

Hopefully within the next year I will start doctorate work in educational leadership or sports administration. Eventually I want to be an athletic director at the collegiate level.

What are some of Rec Sports’ long-term goals?

We hope to keep expanding our program as well as offering different opportunities throughout club sports. We are hoping to purchase equipment for outdoor adventures such as camping gear so that if you want to go camping, you can rent everything from the tent to cookware to do so. I could also lead camping trips. We are working with SGA right now to try and get our own intramural field, that way students and athletes don’t have to compete for one field to play or practice on. It will be a field specifically there for student use for anyone who wants to just throw a football around and things like that. We really want to serve the whole student body.

What do you think is the most popular activity that Rec Sports sponsors and why?

For outdoor adventures, it is easily our skydiving trip just because it’s something new and challenging. Within intramurals, flag football is big. Our club soccer is the largest club team.

Tell me about your skydiving experience.

The group we took out on Oct. 18 of this semester was my first time to skydive. The only reason I even did it was because it wouldn’t cost me anything because I took a group. I was the last one to go out of a group of 17 students, so I waited 16 hours. Let’s just say, it wasn’t a traditional skydive. When I jumped, I started spinning while free falling. The instructor I jumped with released the parachute at 6,500 feet as opposed to the recommended 5,000, so it was not normal. I think the fact that I was so much taller than my instructor was had something to do with the spinning. It was funny to watch on video. We’re going to be putting it on YouTube soon and probably our website as well.

What’s up with all of the table tennis tables?

It all goes back to Dr. Patterson and Dr. Mabry and how attentive they are to the students’ needs. We saw that students wanted to play Ping Pong and were able to get the funds to meet that need. Originally we started out with two tables and saw that students were waiting around to play, so in October we bought two more tables. That’s just one example where the administration saw that there was a need for the students and met that need. We really didn’t think that it would grow like it has, but we had 32 students in our Ping Pong tournament. Most days the tables are busy from noon until 11 p.m. when we close up. The tennis guys are unbelievable when they play and a lot of the baseball guys play as well. Also, if Wes and I need to take a break or just chat for a bit, we can go play and it’s a fun stress reliever.

By Elizabeth Barrett Contributing Writer