After eight weeks, Outdoor Nation is pleased to announce almost 44,000 outdoor activities were logged by 8,390 participants in its first Campus Challenge, with many universities reporting a major surge in the campus-wide interest in outdoor recreation.
Though individual competition was steep, the clear National Outdoor Champion and winner of the competition, was the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Collectively, CSB/SJU logged 16,289 activities and signed up 1,906 people who participated in the Challenge. The university will receive an awesome gear bank sponsored by The North Face that includes items like technical packs, tents and sleeping bags as well as sleeping pads, camping pillows, water bottles and more. The school will also have a campus-wide celebration to honor their accomplishment.
Built on the belief that lasting cultural change must be led by those most affected by the outcome, Outdoor Nation empowers young people, primarily college students, to mobilize and motivate peers to get outdoors — enabling these influential leaders to redefine outdoor recreation as more relevant and reviving a passion for the outdoor lifestyle. The Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge capitalizes on school spirit as a way to reach diverse, new audiences and reinforce a healthy lifestyle message at age when many college students are forming the habits, values and brand allegiances they will carry the rest of their lives.
Five individuals from across the country were named Outsiders of the Year – each with 285 approved outdoor activities logged. Winners included Pearce Jensen from CSB/SJU, Nathan Miller and Vincent McClain from Michigan Technological University, Emma Gummerson from Appalachian State University and James Ablang from Cal State Long Beach. Each of these students will be outfitted by The North Face and will have the opportunity to intern with Outdoor Nation during the 2015 ON Campus Challenge.
The schools that competed in the 2014 Challenge include: Appalachian State University, California State University, Long Beach, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, George Mason University, James Madison University, Michigan Technological University, University of Central Florida, University of Iowa, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Spelman College.
In 2015, Outdoor Nation will build on its foundation of great college work, expanding activities to 50 campuses across the US. The organization will also open the Challenge opportunity to any school that wishes to compete. Information will be available in the spring of 2015 at outdoornation.org with the competition kicking off in the fall.
