Mon, Aug 27, 2018 

Grit.  It’s the ability to power through the difficulties that stand between you and your goal.  It’s the self-confidence to fully focus your energy on the immediate demand, with determination.  It’s a regimen of practice; and as it turns out, some people are more “gritty” than others.

As Forbes magazine challenges readers to measure themselves against 5 Characteristics of Grit, and West Point invests in “hardiness” as a predictor of first-year performance, the staff at OSU’s Department of Recreational Sports witnesses student after student pushing themselves to discomfort, for performance gain.  Forums of fitness, outdoor adventure, competition, and team practice regularly challenge participants to go faster, farther, higher and stronger than they believed they could.  For those of us immersed in the world of collegiate recreation, Huesman’s 2009 discovery of correlation came as little surprise; and in a time when Universities across the country are strategizing to increase academic persistence, this kind of self-efficacy holds interest and promise for us all.

Year-to-year, Oregon State consistently sees 65% of the student population swipe in to campus recreation facilities.  While some of these students grew up in a culture of sport, and are simply continuing what they know; others are newly exploring recreation options and discovering the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of regular activity.  Participants report a variety of motivations for engagement, from social connection to stress management; and varied interests and abilities demand diverse programming.

The Department of Recreational Sports is making a conscious and concerted effort to invite, engage, and advance students toward the development of self-efficacy and grit, through social marketing, program definition, curriculum design, equipment acquisition, and activity placement within existing facilities.

  • A Physical Activity Referral program was implemented in Fall 2017, wherein campus clinicians at Student Health Services refer self-identified inactive students for free personal training.
  • A wellness marketing campaign informs students of diverse RecSport programming, invites them to try something new, and points the way to get started.
  • Social media channels carry the testimony of active students sharing the benefits of engagement
  • Plans are underway to cluster equipment within the facility in a way to strategically support distinctly different goals of fitness development.
  • Outdoor adventure classes employ a theoretical framework that includes “responsible use of risk to achieve learning outcomes”.
  • Sport clubs welcome inexperienced students and encourage growth and improvement at regular practices and intercollegiate competitions.
  • Flexible class formats allow fitness participants to opt in to different levels of social support from peers and instructors.

In Spring 2018, Recreational Sports conducted a campus survey to better understand the dynamics of physical activity, engagement, persistence, leadership, and general wellbeing of OSU’s student body.  This data presents an opportunity to explore the beliefs and behaviors of those who participate in Rec Sports, as compared to those who don’t.  We hope to discover patterns that will further inform the development of grit in our own programming, and ultimately programming across the campus of Oregon State University.