The three leaders of the "small but mighty" NMU Rec Sports team are featured in the cover story of the May/June issue of CAMPUS REC magazine. All are alumni who worked there as students. Tricia Bush stayed in her hometown after graduation and is director of campus recreation. Adam Fancher returned after a stint in the Pacific Northwest running and opening successful bike shops to serve as intramural sports and outdoor equipment manager. Katie Moe completed a graduate assistantship and took a job at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, but came back to NMU a short time later.
Rec Sports moved out from under the Athletics department's purview last summer and now falls under the Northern Student Experience (NSE) administrative pillar. Fancher said it's a better fit, particularly related to his job, and Bush said the change allows Rec Sports to be highlighted more as part of the NSE.
"But even as they settle in this big transition, it all comes back to serving students, faculty/staff and the local community in Marquette," the article stated. "And no matter what division Rec Sports falls under, or what challenges arise for the department, the small but mighty team at NMU will continue to press forward."
Fancher shared that his main goal for Outdoor Recreation is to introduce students to the outdoor spaces that are readily available while attending Northern.
“We're trying to make sure people feel confident going into the spaces for the first time,” he said in the story. “For a lot of students, we're their first introduction to things like ice climbing, rock climbing, fat-tire biking and cross-country skiing—things some of us take for granted might be their very first time trying it. That can be a scary thing. ... A big part of coming to NMU is the outdoor environment. We're trying to find things that help students get out."
The article stated that NMU interacts regularly with the local community, not only through rec memberships and programs, but through partnerships with area organizations.
Rec Sports also operates a summer camp. Bush said they run it due to a shortage of childcare in the summer. Fifty campers are on site daily, from kindergarten to 5th grade, in addition to a smaller tween program, which caters to a dozen campers per day. In 2023, the 50 spots were filled within eight minutes of registration opening. Rec Sports will offer it again in 2024.
'Being part of a small but mighty team is both a huge honor and accomplishment, but can also be very challenging,” said Moe. “Our small but mighty team has always just gotten it done.”
Read the full CAMPUS REC feature here.