Run for the Jump, Jump for the Fall

By Broadside Sports Editor Eileen Brown

According to Joe Hinrichs, president of the newly formed East Peak Adventure Sports club at Mason, “[EPAS is] a different type of club. You have to be a little bit crazy to do some of the stuff we do.”

Officially recognized this spring by the university, Hinrichs and fellow club members have big plans for this unique club.

EPAS’s spring 2008 plans include rock climbing lessons once a month at Sportrock in Alexandria, an overnight laser tag lock-in at Laser Quest in Woodbridge, paintballing, Euro-style cart racing, a ski trip and a beach trip.

When Hinrichs first transferred from the University of Colorado, he soon found out that there was nothing on campus that fit his adventurous needs.

“I transferred from the University of Colorado and out there, I was skiing literally three times a week,” Hinrichs said. “Everyone out there skis or snowboards or something. When I came here, there was nothing that I could join.”

Hence, Hinrichs and other current officers started up their adventure and extreme sports club. One of Hinrichs’ objectives and aspirations for EPAS is to expand the club to a national level.

“The original idea [of the club], and I don’t know if it will ever happen, is sort of a legacy that I’m trying to leave behind,” Hinrichs said.

“The original intention was to get this chapter started as Peak Adventure Sports and have friends at other universities around the country start a chapter at their school,” Hinrichs said. “Depending on where they were in the country, it would be mainly based on the region, [North Peak, South Peak, etc.]. Then once a year, maybe during the summer, we would have everyone come together somewhere in the country and have one of the groups host it, and then have a big jamboree.”

EPAS is available for all Mason students to join and the cost can vary depending on the type of activity.

“It’s all pretty cheap, but some of the things we do are expensive, like Euro-style cart racing, our ski trip or if we go hang gliding, it could be expensive,” Hinrichs said. “But for the most part, it’s 15 to 20 bucks at the most, and some of it is free.”

EPAS is a very unique club that builds ties with people through adventure.

“It’s all about getting people together to get them to go out and do something that they’ve probably not done before,” Hinrichs said. “It’s also a way to get off campus, if you don’t have a car, or a way to go do something that you wouldn’t necessarily do...by yourself, like rock climbing, because you can’t go rock climbing yourself.”

For more information about EPAS, visit their Web site.