Baby, it’s cold outside; recreational date ideas

Baby%2C+its+cold+outside%3B+recreational+date+ideas

Dearest fellow students,

I spent last semester telling you how to get your heart rate up indoors. Now that spring has sprung, or at least the semester has, I want to focus on doing it outside.

No, pervert, I don’t mean indecent exposure or getting kinky in this balmy 40-degree weather we’re having. Although I do condone outdoor loving at least 200 yards from a playground, I’m talking about making the Student Recreation Center part of your dating routine.

You paid your university dues, now let the Rec Center work for you.

Briefly, I want to offer a couple easy, relatively inexpensive date ideas for couples old and new. Keep these in your back pocket for a day when the sun decides to grace us with its presence.

Green Bikes:

Enjoy the great outdoors on a borrowed set of wheels. All you need is your cougar card and decent balance. Seriously, take your significant other or a potential love interest for a bike ride. You can stay in Pullman or set out on the Pullman-Moscow highway trail. Just remember you have to return the bike within a day’s time. There are 11 bike docks around campus, and the WSU Green Bike program currently has 140 bikes available for use. One hundred of these bikes are the BIXI Green Bikes and the remaining 40 are Mt. Trek Bikes and Hybrid Bikes that can be rented through the Outdoor Recreation Rental Shop.

It’s no secret that exercise boosts your health and mood. If you’re in the beginning of a relationship, being your best self is expected. Take a little help from Mother Nature and put your best foot forward, figuratively and literally.

Slackline course:

For those whohave a profound disdain for the ground and opt to walk above it on a tiny line, WSU’s new Slackline Course is a great date destination. Those who have never slacklined needn’t be afraid. The course offers difficulty levels ranging from beginner to expert. You can bring your own slackline or rent one from the SRC service counter.

I’m impartial to this one for two reasons: touch is my love language and I’m a daredevil. For my fellow feely folks, doing something like a slackline course allows to you to break a touch barrier early on. For those of you who have been dating a while, take this as a chance to get touchy without annoying others; you’ll be the college equivalent of two old people holding hands.

Climbing wall:

Similar to slacklining, the SRC’s climbing wall brings an adventurous element to a date that dinner and a movie or getting drunk and making out simply lack. The climbing wall is located on court seven of the SRC and accommodates beginners as well as highly experienced climbers. Go out on a limb, or rock in this instance, and feel out whether the person you’re out with has a sense of adventure early on in the relationship.

For couples that develop affection for ascension, you can return to the course and hone your skills together. Start from the bottom, and see where you end up.

Hot tubbing:

The reason I include this one is because I am what I like to call a slacklete. I invented the term and pray that debuting it in the paper will aid in its popularity. Don’t worry; I have low expectations as far as Merriam-Webster is concerned. The truth is, being around athletic people while doing nothing is good enough for some people, mostly me. Spend some time in the hot tub discussing your interests. Find out how your date feels about physical activity before you spend time hunting down the ever so elusive Green Bikes. Besides, what bonds two people like sweating together?

Hot tubbing offers a more traditional dating experience because you can actually talk to one another. It’s also a great way to preview the product before you purchase.

All in all, I wish you luck. Dating is difficult no matter where you are. Unlike real estate, location has no bearing on love.