JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
As members of Joint Team Andrews prepare to begin the 101 Critical Days of Summer and the summer season, the Joint Base Andrews Outdoor Recreation Center team has put together an outdoor adventure program that gives Andrews members the opportunity to travel and participate in engaging activities.
The outdoor adventure program's summer schedule begins Tuesday with a trip to see the Baltimore Orioles vs. the Kansas City Royals in Baltimore, Md. Other experiences offered include a trip to New York, Busch Gardens, Va., kayaking with dolphins and other baseball games.
These activities only constitute a portion of activities offered through the outdoor adventure program.
"Anything from air to water to land - we have it covered," said Ali Mabins, director of outdoor recreation. "If you want to jump out of a plane at 14,000 feet - we got it. If you want to go scuba diving and get certified - we offer that too. We consider ourselves the one-stop shop for recreation. If it's fun, if it's something that Airmen want to learn how to do, or if it's something they've never done before, we got it."
Teamwork is essential to every Airmen and military branch of service and is also part of what the outdoor adventure program promotes.
"There are a lot of activities that emphasize teamwork and unit cohesion," Ms. Mabins said. "Those activities are directly tied into what members do every day, such as land navigation through participating in a game of paintball, wingmanship through trusting a team member during a rock-climbing event, teamwork through tandem kayaking, etc. Those skills, including positive team-building, are enhanced by our programs."
Paintball is another team-building activity Outdoor Rec will begin offering at a field which the center's team built on base.
"The [Woodsball] paintball field is new this year and is targeted toward squadrons or shops," Ms. Mabins said. Any Airman can come throughout the week and reserve the field. Saturdays and Sundays are field 'walk-on' days [where the field is open to a first-come, first-serve basis]."
Trips are another form of a group activity that can inspire teamwork. The outdoor adventure program has a number of group trips scheduled this summer that individuals or shops may sign up for.
"We also provide trips to Atlantic City, N.J., or trips for Airmen who'd like to go outlet shopping on the Eastern shore," said Danielle Winters, outdoor adventure programmer. "Whatever Airmen can think of, we organize everything for them. The only thing they need to do is say 'I'd like to ... '"
The possibilities for trips organized by the outdoor adventure program span beyond any set list or agenda to include private trips for groups or families.
"Private trips are also available," Ms. Winters said. "For example, if someone already went on a trip kayaking with dolphins and wanted to kayak down the rapids we could orchestrate that. Trips consist of whatever Airmen want them to. If I can't book the trip myself, I can at least provide you with the information. I'm not a personal travel agent, but I do my best to organize group trips. I've even had requests for groups to visit Australia - anything is a possibility."
The variety of trips the outdoor adventure program provides is only matched by the possibility of the difficulty level for each trip.