New club offers fun during frosty season
A new club keeps students flying high and well-cushioned.
Four Utah State University students founded the USU tubing club, which became an official club this academic school year due to a large number of requests made by students.
The club is an athletic and a social club fashioned around the new trend of extreme tubing, said MitChell Moncur, a senior accounting major and president of the USU tubing club.
“Extreme tubing is basically doing aerial tricks of big kickers,” he said. “We also have social activities when the snow’s not good, enabling fellow students to build new friendships.”
Because she is a member, Kristin Grange has learned some new techniques of tubing that she didn’t know existed.
“It is the best club around. I have met a lot of new people and have been able to hang out with friends that are on the Salt Lake university’s tubing club,” she said.
The USU tubing club is also involved in service activities and school events such as Christmas Tree Lane.
The tubing club has a special time for practices and has several competitions throughout the snow season.
“Our home field is located at the Sinks, about three miles past Beaver Mountain turnoff,” Moncur said. “Basically you’ll find us there every snow day and every Saturday. This is some of the best tubing terrain in Utah.”
DeAnna Lee, a freshman physical education major, said, “The tubing club is not for the timid. It is definitely a risky sport but fun at the same time.”
The biggest competitors for the USU tubing club are University of Utah’s tubing club, which was established this year as well.
Matthew Ethington, a sophomore business major and activities director for the club, said the club had its first big competition on Jan. 25, against the U Team put together from BYU and UVSC.
“Much to our expectations we took the first-place title and sent the other clubs home empty handed,” he said.
Ethington has a 12-passenger van to help carpool the club members to their practices and competitions.
“No need to worry, because Matthew is a certified USU van driver. The rest of the team just carpools up to the mountain,” Moncur said.
Rueben Nelson, a sophomore business major and the trick specialist for the club said, there are four events at each tubing meet with men’s and women’s divisions. Those events are big air competition, best trick competition, downhill, and a team relay.
The USU tubing club does not just use any old sled. They use special sleds that have extra large handles that make it easier to pull off tricks, explained Kyle Dimond, a sophomore nutrition science major and the policy director for the club.
“We don’t use the black inner tubes, we order these from Massachusetts, costing us about $13 a tube,” he said.
The club currently has 37 members and is continuing to grow all of the time.
“People can e-mail us at usutubing@yahoo.com to request an application and details on membership,” Dimond said. “We have a $5 membership fee which helps us buy our tubes, shovels and pay for the club items.”
The USU tubing club will be competing against the University of Utah on Feb. 15.
–stacipete@cc.usu.edu
Kyle Dimond, USU Tubing Club policy enforcer, sails over president MitChell Moncur.
Matt “Spitz” Ethington, a sophomore majoring in business, performs a flip off the team’s jump while other members of the team watch in awe. (Photos by Scott Davis)