Participation in intercollegiate athletics, intramurals and recreation programs help develop personal qualities such as initiative, cooperation, physical and mental wellness. Athletic and recreational activities can be very beneficial to students' educational development.

Paul Smith's College joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in 2006 as a member of the Sunrise Conference featuring six Northeast colleges: the University of Maine - Machias, the University of Maine - Fort Kent, Fischer College, Vermont Tech, and the College of St. Joseph. The Men's Cross Country Team won the Sunrise Conference Championship in the first year in the Conference, and look forward to continued success in the NAIS. North Country neighbor, SUNY - Canton is slated to be added to the Sunrise Conference in September '07.

Intramural sports include indoor soccer, dodgeball, flag football, volleyball, basketball, softball, and Ultimate Frisbee. Other sports may be added upon request. Special one-day tournaments are also offered. See the Recreation and Intramural Coordinator for more information.

For incoming students, the Office of Recreation and Intramural Programs (ORIP) coordinates a four day pre-freshman program called Adirondack Experience. Through Adirondack Experience, incoming students will participate in outdoor adventures including hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, and/or road cycling each day, while Adirondack-themed programs will be featured each evening. Participants select programmed activities, and each group activity will include 6 - 8 student participants. Adirondack Experience trip leaders are selected from qualified students, faculty and staff.

Safety training (certification) is offered each year through the American Red Cross through the ORIP including CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, Standard First Aid, Responding to Emergencies, Basic Water Rescue, Community Water Safety, and Lifeguard Training. The ORIP Coordinator provides safety training for the Campus Safety personnel as well as the Residence Life staff each year.

Backcountry medical courses are offered each fall and spring through Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO), including Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder (WFR). Paul Smith's College students who successfully complete the WFR course are eligible to receive 3-credits through the Recreation, Adventure Travel and Ecotourism (RATE) program, and are most likely selected as program and trek leaders for the Outing Club as well as the Adirondack Experience pre-freshmen program.

Through New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS - DEC), ORIP also offers the Search and Rescue (green card) course. Those who complete this green card course are immediately eligible to participate in the College's Emergency Wilderness Response Team (EWRT), and are encouraged to consider joining the local region's Search and Rescue organization - SARNAC. Approximately 35 students each year complete the Search and Rescue course, qualifying over 100 student volunteers to assist the DEC Forest Rangers and local firefighters in searches in the North Country.

The local Forest Rangers have also conducted the Federal S-130 and S-190 Wildland Fire Suppression courses through ORIP, providing an opportunity for our students to work for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the US Forest Service and/or the National Park Service for either summer employment or full time work upon graduation.

ORIP provides in-service and pre-employment training for the campus-based lifeguards each year, to ensure that the guards maintain their safety and aquatic skills for our patrons. The Paul Smith's College youth swim program provides swim lessons to approximately 50 area youths each fall and spring semester, with instruction provided by our qualified student - instructors.

Canoe safety instruction is conducted each orientation through the ORIP for our incoming students. The canoe safety training is required for students enrolled in a majority of our academic majors, as academic work often takes place on or near the local waterways and may involve canoeing. Any student interested in using the College's recreational canoes is required to complete the canoe safety program, which includes both on-shore as well as hands-on skill training. Canoe safety training is also conducted on an as-needed basis through the academic year.

The College's tennis courts, cross country ski sign-out, canoe signout, adjacent campus-based trails, recreational use of the gym, pool, bouldering room and fitness center are all coordinated through ORIP. There are several work study positions under ORIP in the multi-faceted areas that are covered. While many are rather seasonal, the program hires nearly fifty students through the academic year to work in recreation, intramurals and athletics.

The Paul Smith's College Striders were founded in 1987 to conduct/ attend endurance activities and events in the local area as well as the Northeastern United States and Canada. The club annually hosts the Pumpkin Muffin 5K run in conjunction with Family Weekend, conducts a series of weekly snowshoe races under the lights at the College's Soccer Field in preparation for major competitions, and hosts the Empire State Games snowshoe competitions each February. With nearly 30 members competing in the International Snowshoe Championships each season, the Striders have dominated this event to begin the 21st century. The Striders ended the 2007 snowshoe racing season, with three members placing in the top 10 at Canadian Snowshoe Nationals at the 10K (6.2 miles), while both the men's and women's junior champions in the 5K distance were Striders in 2007 as well. For the past two seasons, members of the Paul Smith's College Striders have headed to Italy with the United States National Team to run in la Ciaspalada that features over 5,000 runners.

In support of the original mission of the program, the Striders will host a series of road and mountain bike training rides in late afternoons as well as weekends for those who wish to develop and maintain broad based fitness.

The College's Marathon Canoe Team has been training and competing since 1996, with an incredible level of success ~ locally, nationally, and internationally. The combination of students, faculty, staff and alumni paddlers maintain a close program of training and competing that enables the new racing paddlers to quickly pick up the technical skills needed for racing success. The canoe team annually enters a dozen or more paddlers in the annual Adirondack Canoe Classic, the 3-day 0-mile canoe race that features 250 canoes and kayaks. Each season, most of the PSC paddlers finish the 90-miler with a top-three finish in their respective category. One of the original four paddlers ~ Vince Walsh took part in the Swanboat World Championships in Thailand, returning with a world title in the mixed race for the United States. Steve Farrell has also represented the US in the Swanboat World Championships several years later.

With the excitement of the renovations on-going in our areas of recreation, intramurals and athletics, we anticipate expanding the program offerings in areas of dance and movement, self defense, yoga, spinning. With the newly remodeled gymnasium we expect to expand the intramural and recreation offerings in the two gymnasiums, and take advantage of the early availability of this indoor recreational space. The proposed three-story indoor climbing facility is planned for completing in '08, and will certainly prove beneficial for our student-climbers as well as the academic programs that hope to take advantage of this facility.

The College's Ropes Course is annually inspected and will be available for weekend programs conducted by our program facilitators. The group games used for group development and facilitation lead our participants to the numerous high elements among the towering white and red pines on the College's "Bluebird" site.

Participation in intercollegiate athletics and intramurals helps develop personal qualities such as initiative, cooperation, physical and mental wellness. Athletic and recreational activities can be very beneficial to students' educational development. Intercollegiate sports for both men and women include soccer, cross-country running, woodsmen's competitions and basketball. Other sports include men's rugby, and women's volleyball. Student athletes participating in soccer, cross-country, and volleyball attend training in late August prior to the start of the academic semester.

Starting in 2006 Paul Smith's College will be a member of the four year athletic association called the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). We will also be in the Sunrise Conference with the opportunity to compete for NAIA national championship.

Intramural sports include soccer, flag football, volleyball, basketball, softball, Ultimate Frisbee. Other sports may be added upon request. Special one-day tournaments in the spring are also offered. See the Recreation and Intramural Coordinator for more information.