Spring has sprung, and there is no better place to take advantage of the increasingly warm weather and beautiful budding trees and flowers than outdoors on campus! Whether it be taking a stroll on the Sand Creek trails, tossing around a football, throwing a frisbee or simply taking in vitamin D while tackling studies, the opportunities are endless for getting active (or lounging around) outdoors at Bethel College. After missing out on an on-campus Spring 2020, students are sharing their favorite outdoor pastimes to ensure that Spring 2021 will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The campus experience of residential students likely involves occasionally dodging brightly colored discs being flung across the lawn in front of Warkentin Court. This happens to be a result of one of the many outdoor activities enjoyed by Bethel students and community members alike: disc golf. Modeled after traditional golf, disc golf involves aiming a flying disc at target baskets (holes). Participants hope to shoot an under-par round. Bethel’s nine-hole disc golf course was established in 2014. The first five holes are dispersed between Warkentin Court and Voth Hall, whereas the final four are located North of Sand Creek, near the tennis courts.
“They’re a bit more adventurous back there,” Andrew Goodman, junior from Shawnee, said in reference to the back four holes.
Another beloved outdoor activity involving flying discs is the game of ultimate frisbee. Mod 3C (including Goodman) are often seen populating the Green before or after dinner, tossing around a frisbee in this fast-paced team sport. Somewhat resembling football, ultimate frisbee involves tossing a frisbee to a teammate, who must then connect with another teammate (and so on) until the frisbee is caught in the endzone. The opposing team plays defense to prevent a score.
If a score occurs, “the team that scores throws [the frisbee] to the other team, which is called a throw-off,” Peyton Fast, a junior from Moundridge, said. The process then repeats; an endurance-test that has proved, at least for mod 3C, a source of lasting fun. “We like to show off,” the group said.
“Spikeball is another fun lawn sport that has been sweeping the nation since its inception in 2007,” Adam Kroeker, senior from Augusta, said. “We actually have a legendary Spikeball player on campus: Jeffery Kauffman,” Kroeker said; “[he’s] very good.”
Jeff and his wife Addie Regier-Kauffman share more about one of their favorite outdoor activities. “Spikeball is a mix of volleyball and foursquare. [It] consists of a small trampoline and [an] inflatable ball. You and your partner have three hits to spike the ball off the net so the other team can’t return it,” the Kauffmans said. Additionally, “there are no out-of-bounds, so there is 360° of play!”
The Green, an undoubtable asset to the Bethel College campus, is a center for outdoor recreation. “That’s where the most exciting ultimate [frisbee] games happen,” Caleb Gaede, senior from Klamath Falls, Org., said. Referring to Spikeball, the Kauffmans said, “Before COVID-19 hit, we played a lot of games on the Green. Sometimes people walking to and from the caf would join us. It is a great way to get to know more people!” Hammocking, badminton, and cricket were other activity suggestions from the interviewees. So, whether working up a sweat and trying out a new sport, or laying out a quilt or blanket to picnic or study, get outside on campus this spring!
