Tag: Kinesiology

Trailblazing into the future of HSU

Humboldt State is a small university in a small town. The idea of safety would seemingly be a given in such a tight-knit community but the truth is that for many HSU students, safety is the number one thing they are worried about when walking around the streets of Arcata.

Through a recent grant from HSU, a group of students and professors from two different disciplines united to initiate the Wayfinder Project. This project, in collaboration with the City of Arcata, looks to establish routes between HSU and the surrounding community of Arcata using signage with the ultimate goal of enhancing student safety both on and off-campus.

Whitney Ogle is an assistant professor in the kinesiology department and is looking forward to seeing students take advantage of the new trails.

“I want students to engage with the community and feel safe doing so,” Ogle said. “I hear stories — anecdotal stories — from students who have never been to the marsh or haven’t been to the plaza or haven’t been into the community forest. And then other students who drive everywhere and it’s like this is a pretty small community that you can walk.”

The proposed routes are slated to start near the Sunset Blvd. overpass, go through the Creamery District, circle around the Arcata Marsh area, barrel through the Plaza and then end back on the HSU campus.

Ogle hopes that maybe the Wayfinder Project paths could turn into competitive endeavors for students, who might want to brag about how quickly they were able to traverse them.

Coming at the project from another angle is HSU Recreation Administration Professor Ara Pachmayer. Having a background in the tourism industry, Pachmayer is glad to support her students in the novel work that they are doing.

“I haven’t worked on a project like this before, but I had done a lot of tourism-related projects,” Pachmayer said. “So it’s interesting because we’re learning a lot as we go along with it as well just because it’s so new to me.”

Ogle is confident that the community of Arcata will benefit from this project. To her, the more students getting out and about around town, the better because they will be spending more money and giving back to a city that is special to her in many ways.

“That’s what makes our community so unique and really great,” Ogle said. “I think, to show students that they’re welcome here, that this town wouldn’t really exist if it wasn’t for HSU.”

Mandy Hackney is a senior and a recreation administration student who is working on the Wayfinder Project. She is excited to be encouraging physical activity for herself and others in a time where we are all mostly stuck indoors.

“Being outside and actually installing the signs on the trails — that’s what I’m really looking forward to,” Hackney said. “Like doing something in person outdoors.”

Ogle and her team also plan to create orientation material for incoming freshmen this upcoming fall. These orientation-related packets will include resources for physical and mental health alongside a map of all the trails from the Wayfinder Project.

Friday, March 5, 2021
Local athlete continues to shine in college

Martin Calderon, a senior majoring in kinesiology, came to HSU as a graduate of Fortuna High School. For Calderon, soccer was not the only reason he came to HSU.

Although most athletes at Humboldt State come from areas outside of Humboldt such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, there are still a few who chose to play for their home university. Whether it is because of finances or simply wanting to stay close to home, some local high school athletes made the decision to stay in Humboldt and play for the Lumberjacks.

“I decided to attend HSU because I saw a great opportunity in not only playing soccer but also being able to get an education,” Calderon said. “Being able to represent my local university in soccer and having two of my best friends from high school also attend HSU to play soccer was just a no brainer for me.”

Calderon adjusted well to college life and would not change his choice to come to HSU even if he could.

“My experience was the best it could be,” Calderon said. “I got to move out of my home in Fortuna and really experienced that grind that a college student athlete experiences.”

As for Humboldt State being full of cultures and demographics different to that of local high schools, Calderon has adjusted well. Calderon has been able to play some great competition while also staying local.

“I don’t know if it was a shock to see so many people from different places,” Calderon said. “But it was one of the coolest things to meet many people from many other places. I would never have thought I would be playing soccer with people from all over the country, which was a great experience. A local kid from Humboldt never really gets exposed to meeting people from all over the country and even the world. So it was definitely nice to meet many people from different places.”

Calderon not only excelled in his sport, but also his education. After graduating from HSU with his Bachelor’s degree, Calderon is not expected to stop extending his education.

“I plan on graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology teaching and coaching in May,” Calderon said. “Then I will be pursuing a Master’s degree in adaptive physical education at Humboldt State.”

Benicio Benavides-Garb, a sophomore and member of the soccer team, came to Humboldt State because it was the best option for him financially.

“I came to Humboldt State because I was accepted on the soccer team,” Benavides-Garb said. “ I also came because it was the most affordable option for me.”

Some athletes choose to stay in Humboldt because of the uniqueness of the area.

“I love the area because of the redwoods and the trails that I can hike anytime,” Banavides-Garb said. “It’s an area that is so different from anywhere else and I don’t think I would want to leave it yet.”

Benavides-Garb was able to make friends with Calderon over the past two years of playing as well. He sees Calderon not just as a friend, but as a mentor.

“He’s a great leader,” Benavides-Garb said. “And he helped me a lot to get used to being part of a team. He showed me with hard work, anything is possible.”

Gou Nitta, a sophomore and player on the HSU soccer team, believes his fellow player’s relaxed yet collected demeanor allowed for his team to win.

“He was a great leader on and off the field and had great vibes,” Nitta said. “He was always calm and composed. We all looked up to him.”

Thursday, March 4, 2021
Kinesiology department teaches students about at-home ergonomics

Since the transition to a mainly virtual learning environment, people nationwide have felt the physical and mental tolls of it. Humboldt State students and faculty are no exceptions to this matter. A recent study by Dr. Whitney Ogle, a professor in the kinesiology department, found that HSU students were rating their mental health and physical wellbeings a three out of five or lower.

But Ogle has done more than that — she and her kinesiology students have been making a series of short videos that inform on different ergonomic practices centered around working at home. It all grew from Ogle’s desire to find an adequate physical working space to make it so her body would not be aching all the time.

Between switching out desk chairs and trying to work from different locations around her house, Ogle was doing everything she could to make her life more comfortable in a time where nobody could work in-person. But then it dawned on her — maybe she could turn her experiences into educational content.

“I knew that since everyone was going to working from home, everyone’s ergonomic workspace was going to be totally different and I didn’t know that there was anyone on campus who was able to actually evaluate people’s home life,” Ogle said. “So I thought ‘Gosh, like I have a little bit of this experience and I’m part of the biomechanics lab’ and so I was like ‘All right — we could probably help out the university somehow with their understanding of the human body.’”

Ricardo Sanchez is one of the students recruited by Dr. Ogle to help with this project. A first-year graduate student in the kinesiology program, he was tasked with coming up with a plan for executing such an endeavor.

“I was like ‘Everyone goes on social media. That’s one thing that people kind of have a hard time putting down so if anything wouldn’t that’d be pretty cool to spread information through there,’” Sanchez said. “It’s quick, it’s easy, and you can get a good amount of information in a little bit of time.”

Sanchez realized that creating informative videos to post on social media was the way to go. After presenting it to Ogle, he began working on the videos with other undergraduate kinesiology students like senior Lacey Bruhy-Jimenez, who most notably produced a video showcasing mini-resistance bands for your fingers.

“It helps to build up the muscles in your hands, because when you’re typing and stuff and when you’re constantly holding a pen or something, your muscles — they stay in that same place all the time, so they’re not experiencing the other movements that they can do,” Bruhy-Jimenez said. “These things just kind of help with those muscles that aren’t being used all the time to help build them up so that way they don’t get weak and you can have them for longer.”

Ogle stressed the importance of stretching your mind and body beyond the confines of a work station.

“We need to get ourselves out of the positions that we’re typically in all the time, so if we’re at a computer we’re like kind of leaning forward all the time,” Ogle said. “So like thinking about how can we get out into this plane, how can we go into more extension anytime that we’re out at the desk.”

Friday, February 19, 2021
Benefits of being outside

By | Bryan Donoghue

Being outside rejuvenates our bodies. Geneviève Marchand, a Kinesiology professor specializing in outdoor recreation notices that many students come here and take opportunities to get to know the community of outdoor recreation, but that there are also some students who do not. This point of curiosity led to a study, if participation in the outdoors near Humboldt State helps students feel more connected to their campus community.

“My hypothesis is that it is and that students that actually either have opportunities to go outdoors or take the time to go outdoors feel more connected to Humboldt State.” Marchand said. “I’m really interested to find if that works and if that makes a difference.”

Gold Beach, Oregon Photo credit: Iridian Casarez

The outdoors provide a variety of different benefits under a cluster of different weather conditions and locations. Although, being outside in nature like we have in Humboldt stays consistently beneficial in how it effects our bodies and mind.

The cooling air is helpful with refreshment, acting as a stimulant of sorts that wakes up an individual, specifically someone who has been fatigued.

“When I’ve been at the gym all day, it’s nice to just walk outside and feel the cool air and just kind of chill for a second,” said Madeline Hatch, a sophomore kinesiology major at Humboldt State.

This sentiment aligns with Marchand’s research. According to Marchand, just being outside reduces our stress levels.

“We basically just go outdoors, and somehow being that it’s nature, that open space, being in green, the sounds and the smells, it all reduces our stress levels.” Marchand said. “There’s actually evidence of it reducing your heart rate, and calming your breathing.”

Grants Pass, Oregon Photo credit: Iridian Casarez

It’s not just feeling exhausted physically, after spending a while studying, sometimes the brain needs a breath of fresh air to be woken up as well.

“I definitely notice that when I get bogged down with studying, if I take my reading outside, it kind of wakes me up a bit,” said Kindall Murie, a senior marine biology major.

There’s evidence that the outdoors helps plenty psychologically. According to Marchand, it reduces mental stress and gives just a better mental wellbeing overall.

The outdoor environment of Humboldt County is something to be grateful for according to Steve Bell, an assistant supervisor at the Student Recreational Center at Humboldt State.

“You have to stimulate yourself. This is a natural way to get what’s available out there.” Bell said. “So that’s what we’re doing. We’re making the most of an opportunity to be out here, by being outside today. I was just telling my daughter here that you really need to thank God for the opportunity.”

To enjoy the benefits of being outside, you have to put the effort in. Make that first step. The benefits will follow.

“I was telling my daughter, we are going to get a lot more out of this than what you put into it.” Bell said. “You don’t only reap what you sow, you reap more than you sow. We’re doing it by faith, and we’re basically sowing the seed today to reap the benefits of another time.”

The top of the sky trail at Trees of Mystery. | Photo by Iridian Casarez

According to Marchand, there’s evidence we learn best about ourselves, and potentially about how to work with other groups in outdoor settings that are challenging us.

“In the end, nature takes care of letting them know if they did a good job, or not.” Marchand said. “I think they learn about themselves, and become better and more in tune with themselves as human beings.”

Wednesday, September 27, 2017