THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 52
THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
Adrenaline-inducing sports available here
ASHLEIGH LEE/KANSAN
Drop Zone Extreme Sports Paintball is a favorite for many people who are looking for a different type of sport to play. The store has a number of paintball clothing and supplies.
JESSICA TIERNEY editor@kansan.com
Some students need more than a ball to keep a sport interesting. The adrenaline rush can only be realized with paintball guns, water-skis, or dropping out of an airplane 30,000 feet high.
Luckily, Lawrence and the metro area have plenty of options for these adrenaline junkies.
"Gliding on water with skis as shoes is much more exciting and requires more focus than running on the ground," said Mitch Favrow, a senior from Overland Park.
Favrow has been involved with waterskiing since he was a kid. He practiced at a family friend's lake house.
Although he is not involved with the KU Waterski Club, Favrow suggests that students interested in getting involved with the sport should consider joining the club team.
"Club sports are a great way to get to know other people with common interests," Favrow said.
KU Recreation Services currently
offers a wide variety of club teams for students to participate in. The offerings range from the standard baseball, swimming, and tennis to the more unusual, like Quidditch, scuba diving, and waterskiing.
"We get a pretty steady amount of young adults and college-age kids, and we offer a graduation special," Spade said.
The clubs typically have a fee to cover the costs of participation for one semester. Some clubs have tryouts while others are open to all skill levels.
For those looking for something outside of the University, there are local businesses that offer unconventional sports as well. Drop Zone Extreme Sports has a paintball park located just outside of Lawrence near I-70. The park is situated on 89 acres of various tournament fields and wooded ravines.
Scott Spade, sales manager at Drop Zone, says his clientele includes all ages, but college students make up a large portion of business.
For a rush of an entirely different sort, there is also the Lawrence chapter of CrossFit, started by two brothers. Thomas and Kyle Thatcher.
CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program that's used by police academies, martial artists, and the military to train its members into supreme shape. The program has become so popular within the last few years that many devotees have started their own chapters, like the Thatcher brothers.
"It gets a lot of the blood flowing in good places, sheds fat, and builds muscle. It's a test of how hard you push yourself," said Thomas.
Their CrossFit facility is located at 701 E.22nd Street. The introduction class is free and participants can then decide what kind of workout package they would like to buy.
For Favrow, the more extreme the sport, the better.
"Extreme sports are unique because the environment is typically natural," he said. "Things can change very quickly, requiring added skill and technique to stay safe."
—Edited by Allison Kohn
PHOTO COURTESY OF CROSSFIT LAWRENCE
PHOTO COURTESY OF CROSSFIT LAWRENCE CrossFit on Lawrence is an organization that focuses on effectively using bodies to accomplish feats. They do this by using functional movements and prioritizing movement and positing.
CrossFit on Lawrence is an organization that focuses on effectively using bodies to accomplish feats. PHOTO CURSERY OF CROSSFIT LAWRENCE