Sports Editor
Jesse Thomas
jessethomas@dailyemerald.com
Tuesday, August 5,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
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Actively
outdoors
The Oregon Outdoor Program provides a cooperative
setting suited to any adventurer’s age or skill level
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
In the Oregon Outdoor Program, there is no limit.
Rafting north of the Arctic Circle, mountain biking in
Nepal or diving off the coast of Baja are all possibilities for
the program that established itself in 1967 as one of the
nation's first outdoor programs.
The Outdoor Program allows anyone who is willing to
initiate a trip in a cooperative manner, far from anything
guided or executed as a democracy.
"The philosophy of our trips is unique," Coordinator
Dan Geiger said. "Trips are not led in a guide outfitter style
but a co-op census style."
Meaning, the trips are open to anyone who wishes to
participate, including students and community. Trips are
led not by paid guides but by "trip initiators" who take a
two-day training class and can post any trip their
hearts desire.
Turn to Rafting, page 6
Jessica Waters Emerald
<\di Fairbank (left), Jonathan Evans (center), and Jen Carroll (right) head through Brown’s Hole, one of two class three rapids on the trip.
Jessica Waters Emerald
The participants in Sunday’s rafting trip enjoyed pleasant weather and beautiful greenery.
White water rafting trip
leaves spirit invigorated
Upon my arrival at the Barn
Sunday morning, 1 was warmly
welcomed into the relaxed at
mosphere amid a diverse crowd.
1 laughed about my sleep depri
vation and told stories about
how I spilled my first cup of cof
fee in the Albertson's parking lot
as we waited for our trip initiator
to take the lead.
Once the group realized 1 was
the reporter on the trip, one per
son asked, "Does that mean we
have to be nice to you?"
I replied with similar
sarcasm, "No."
Our white water rafting trip
awaited, and we loaded the rafts
onto the trailer and got fitted for
gear. Kat Smith, our trip initiator,
was nervous as it was her first
time leading a brigade, but her
contagious laugh made everyone
easy-going about the journey.
Upon entering the Barn's
bathroom, I was mesmerized by
the walls that had become me
mentos from past adventures.
Jesse Thomas
Go the distance
From stories of the Rogue River
Turn to Thomas, page 8
Larsen heads
Oregon’s new
lacrosse team
Jen Larsen, former North Carolina assistant, was recently
selected as Oregon’s new head coach for women’s lacrosse
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
For len Larsen, life has been a rush lately.
Moving from the East Coast, living out of a hotel room and ac
cepting the Oregon women's lacrosse head coaching position
have all been nothing short of crazy.
But Larsen thrives on challenges and knows it will be an uphill
battle, both in establishing a team and learning about herself.
"I'm just excited about the opportunity and thrilled to be here,"
Larsen said. "I'm really looking forward to the challenge, and it's
going to be great for me to establish who I am as a coach."
The announcement came this past Tuesday for Larsen, who will
lead the Ducks into lacrosse intercollegiate competition in the
2004-05 school year. Although Larsen has never held a head
coaching position, she has experience in assistant coaching for
the sport.
Larsen, a University of Virginia graduate, has been an assistant
coach at University of North Carolina for the past three years.
When she heard about the opening of a program at Oregon, she
sent in her resume.
Jessica Waters Emerald
Jen Larsen was all smiles after becoming the new head lacrosse coach.
Prior to being a Tar Heel, Larsen was an assistant coach and
camp director for the field hockey program at Duke University
from 1998 to 2000. The former Cavalier graduate also worked at
Georgetown from 1996 to 1998 as an assistant lacrosse and field
hockey coach.
For Larsen, the West Coast is entirely new. Despite having a few
relatives up and down the seaboard, Larsen hasn't visited Oregon
since her youth.
"I'd only been here on a family trip as we drove cross country,"
she said. "I'd only been to Crater Lake, and that's the only thing of
the state of Oregon that I remembered my whole life."
Larsen made her return over the July 4 weekend during the
Turn to Coach, page 8
New sports arena
gets green light
from Frohnmayer
The University President gives the go-ahead to build a new
arena to replace an againgand obsolete McArthur Court
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Editor
Following suit with other recent expansions, University
President Dave Frohnmayer announced Thursday his approval
of a new sports arena for Oregon athletics.
The proposed arena will replace McArthur Court to become
the new home to Oregon men's and women's basketball, vol
leyball and wrestling.
"First of all, it replaces an obsolete facility," Frohnmayer
said. "What we have was an unusual opportunity, thanks to
the availability of private philanthropy, to replace a facility
that's outdated by anybody's measure."
Preliminary plans include increased seating capacity and
greater net revenue for Oregon athletics. The arena could ac
commodate 13,000 to 15,000 people for games and events,
with roughly 1,000 club seats, 20 suites and 2,500 donor seats.
The new facility is also expected to host as many as 100
events a year with up to 500,000 people attending.
"A facility of that kind, if properly constructed, has incredi
ble versatility," Frohnmayer said. "And communities really de
pend upon universities to provide that kind of facility. That's
Turn to Arena, page 8