By Shaylen Crook | Reporter
Nine years ago, Spanish teacher Mark Lorincz was inspired to start a club that would give under-privileged students an opportunity to experience the outdoors. This resulted in the Outdoor Club, and ever since, Lorincz has been taking students all over the state to do various outdoor sports. Though he does not coach traditional school sponsored sports, Lorincz feels like he can lend some of his expertise and passion for the outdoors to the students in his club.
“I think we live in an incredible area, and so many kids don’t see the positive around us,” Lorincz said.
Lorincz wants to give students passion to exercise and learn ways in which they can do outdoor sports their whole life.
In the past, the club has gone snowshoeing at Crater Lake, skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor and Willamette Pass, and surfing in Newport. The club takes surfing trips to Newport in April or May where members camp out in tents at the local state park, and skiing and snowboarding trips are taken in the winter. The Outdoor Club usually does one or two skiing/snowboarding trips and two surfing trips each school year.
“My favorite part about Outdoor Club is getting to snowboard,” senior Natasha Martin said.
Martin decided to join Outdoor Club when she met Lorincz at the beach during her fourth grade year. Lorincz told her she would have a lot of fun, so Martin decided that as soon as she could, she would join. She is most excited for the surfing trip the group is taking in the spring.
Senior Matthew Matthews signed up for Outdoor Club when he was a freshman during Marshfield’s club fair. Some of his older friends he skateboarded with told him about Outdoor Club and influenced him to join.
Matthews enjoys the social aspects involved with the club.
“Getting together with friends,” Matthews said. “It’s a different bonding experience.”
Matthews’ favorite trips are those involving snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor.
Going on these trips takes money, and since the Outdoor Club does not receive funding from the school, members do their own fundraising. The club usually holds dances to fund its adventures. The club has to pay for transportation, lodging, food and lift tickets, etc.
“We raise as much as possible,” Lorincz said.
The club recently held the Electric Valentines Dance on Feb. 10 at the Waxers Surf and Skate Shop venue, which is the old Broadway Theater. The club’s goal was to raise $500 to go toward the trip and ended up raising about $350.
“It went very well,” Lorincz said.
Though a trip to the snow this month has been put on hold due to lack of funding, Lorincz hopes to hold another dance in the spring to fundraise for the club’s surfing trips.
Lorincz skiis/snowboards and surfs with the students. In the years Lorincz has advised the Outdoor Club, he is proud that there have never been any major injuries and the club members enjoy their trips a lot.
“We never hold back,” Lorincz said. “We go all out.”
