One of the funniest commercials I have ever seen is the K-Mart “Ship My Pants” commercial where everyone ecstatically announces they’re shipping things. The commercial is funny for those of us with a childish sense of humor, and the message is simple: If you can’t find what you’re looking for in-store, you can ship it easily and for free.
This October, the Student Leadership Team is excited to be participating in the NIRSA Foundation Virtual 5K where we get to choose our recventure. The best part of participating is that you get to 5K your way—run, walk, swim, binge five episodes of your favorite TV show, you name it, it’s your 5K! The way you can pick how you complete your 5K made me think back to the K-Mart commercial. As the K-Mart customers excitedly shout, “I just shipped my pants!” I picture the great humans of NIRSA sharing on social media “I just did a 5K!”
My personal recventure is soaking up the five weekends of October with five different adventures. The first weekend I went to West Lafayette, IN to watch my alma mater Minnesota play Purdue in football and check off another Big Ten stadium where I saw the Gophers play. The next weekend, I stayed local in Columbus, OH and went to the Buckeyes’ football game and then spent hours learning about and watching bocce during the Columbus Italian Festival. Halfway through the month, Ohio State is on Fall Break and I took a vacation to Arizona where I traveled with friends to visit the Grand Canyon, check out a rec center in Flagstaff, and soak up some sunshine in Phoenix.
As I write this there are still two weekends left in October and I’m not quite sure what will be in store. What I do know is that I’ve enjoyed the time to be creative and to be curious about new places, and I’ve cherished the opportunities to build community with new and old friends. And the best part? There’s still time in the month to join a NIRSA Foundation Virtual 5K team or to donate and share your support. We’ve created a team called NIRSA Students and we would love for you to join us as you 5K your way!
If you’re interested in joining NIRSA Students for the NIRSA Foundation Virtual 5K, reach out to your regional student leader:
Region I: Jimmy Stinsman
Region II: Kaleigh Gabriel
Region III: Aliyah Valdez
Region IV: Alyssa Moncrief
Region V: Morgyn Felty
Region VI: Deanna Main
Region Canada: Kevin Wilson
Your regional student leader can offer directions as well as a coupon code to get $5 off your Virtual 5K registration fee! We would love for you to join us as we all try to move our bodies or do something creative with the number five.
Whether you’re joining our team or you’re already on a 5K team, we would love to hear how it’s going or what you’re doing for your recventure. Share your 5K with us @NIRSAStudents on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Sarah Heemstra, NIRSA Student Leader, is currently the RPAC Facilities Graduate Assistant at The Ohio State University.
