CSB/SJU looks to defend its title in 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge

Labor Day may be arriving soon, but it's not time to put away the hiking shoes, tennis shoes or golf shoes just yet.

That's because the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are back to defend their title in the 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge.

Outdoor Nation, the national initiative that connects college students and their communities to the outdoors, announced that 57 schools representing 31 states will participate in the 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge from Sept. 6-Oct. 17.

And, that number includes CSB/SJU.

"In 2014 we proved to the nation, as well as to ourselves, how important the outdoors is to the CSB and SJU communities," said Jenny Kutter, coordinator of the Challenge for CSB/SJU. "Nearly 25 percent of our student body, in addition to hundreds of alumnae/i, faculty, staff and our worldwide community signed up to help us handily defeat the nine other schools. We're ready to do it all again."

To kick off the 2015 Challenge, CSB/SJU is challenging its community to have 1,500 individuals log at least one outdoor activity on the opening day of the challenge, Sunday, Sept. 6. In doing so, CSB/SJU could be the first school to earn a $1,500 grant for outdoor activation in our community.

Last year, CSB/SJU totaled 162,800 activity points to easily outdistance second-place Michigan Tech University, which had 48,910 points. Ten schools competed in the inaugural eight-week challenge.

As the 2014 National Outdoor Champion, CSB/SJU received a gear bank, sponsored by The North Face, that included technical packs, tents, sleeping bags and more. The schools also held a celebration Feb. 15 to honor their accomplishment.

This year's Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge is a six-week Mother Nature meets March Madness-style competition to determine the National Outdoor Champion. The 2015 Challenge is presented by The North Face and The REI Foundation. Other sponsors include Adidas, Chaco, Osprey, Coleman, CamelBak and Backpacker among others.

The 2015 Campus Challenge aims to engage young people in outdoor recreation - rewarding schools with the most outdoor activities logged by the most people in their campus network (students, faculty, alumnae/i and local community). The school with the most participants and outdoor activities will be named the National Outdoor Champion, and the top individual will be crowned Outsider of the Year.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average young person spends eight hours in front of a screen and only eight minutes outside and active.

People can start the process by creating an account beginning Monday, Aug. 24. On Sept. 6, they can start registering their activities into the account, posting a photo of them doing the activity. For enthusiasts who are a little camera shy, you don't have to include a portrait photo - a picture of your feet during a walk is acceptable, for example.

Among the outdoor activities that count in the Challenge are biking, bird-watching, camping, climbing, fishing, hiking, backpacking, hunting, gardening, walking, running and jogging, water activities, skateboarding and outdoor games (Frisbee, horseshoes, etc.). Playing organized sports do not count in the Challenge.