STLCC physical education class takes students to the outdoors
By: Spencer Gleason
Sports Editor
By: Daniel Reynolds
Staff Writer
Physical education classes serve their purpose to keep students active. They can also give the average student many inside sights and sounds of the game.
Whether students fulfill their required two physical education credit hours to graduate through the squeaks of tennis shoes on the basketball court while shooting the ball through the hoop during basketball class, splash around in the swimming pool during swimming and diving class or hear the crunch of leaves beneath their hiking boots while hiking through the woods, students are able to take various P.E. classes all year long.
While some physical education classes are held on campus, every week, classes like hiking and backpacking are held just a couple times a semester, with two one-day trips and a weekend out of town trip through Pere Marquette in Grafton, Ill., 56 miles away from the Meramec campus.
“The first day of the trip we hike about six miles,” STLCC physical education instructor Michael Dutt said. “Then the second day we hike about three miles.”
Dutt, who teaches at STLCC-Wildwood and STLCC-Florissant Valley, also teaches camping and floating and swimming.
“They are graded on five things,” Dutt said about his hiking and backpacking class. “They have to enjoy the outdoors. They have to learn to set up and take down camp, as well as, cooking, hiking and a final paper. All the students are required to sleep in a tent. They are not allowed to go to their car for any reason, expect to blow up your air mattress if they have one.”
Students are responsible for their own equipment, along with money for the lodging fee, food and drinks, but they learn outdoor living skills, campsite development and safety.
“There are students that have never been in the outdoors before,” Dutt said. “It is great teaching them these things.”
Although the class is open to everyone, there is not a short cut to an easy “A”.
“The trails that we hike on will range from medium to hard,” Dutt said. “Some are on a steep incline and most students do not realize that. They are almost never walking on level ground. They are always going up an incline or down a decline.”
Once the students set up camp, they stay outdoors, sleeping in tents, cooking food over a fire and listening to nature.
With no prerequisites, students can sign up for the hiking and backpacking class and are able to choose from two sessions coming in the summer and three in the fall 2012 semester.
“I love the outdoors,” Dutt said. “I love to hunt, fish, camp, hike, and do anything outdoors. I would take this class in a heartbeat if I was back in college.”
