By Alex Yu

Have you ever been a Collegiate Upper Schooler unsatisfied with ordinary sports? Maybe you’re looking for something more adventurous or daring, or perhaps you’re just looking for a break in the competitive atmosphere. Whichever the case, you should consider Outdoor Collegiate as your choice. Outdoor Collegiate is a Middle and Upper School program focusing on, as the name suggests, outdoor activities, including whitewater paddling, climbing, winter wilderness, and mountain biking. Whitewater paddling takes place during the fall, climbing (both for Middle and Upper School) and wilderness happens in the winter, and biking takes place in the spring for the Upper School and winter for the Middle School. Like other athletic activities, Outdoor Collegiate’s programs take place after school each day for a few hours.

Brad Cooke (left) and Nick Sberna (right) ride down the James River Pipeline. Photo courtesy of Brad Cooke.

You really can’t talk about Outdoor Collegiate without discussing its founder and director, Upper School history teacher Brad Cooke. In the classroom, currently he teaches Comparative World Religion, Modern Dictatorships, Honors History: 21st Century World Stage, and the River City Senior Capstone course. Cooke describes himself as both an “energetic” and “enthusiastic” person, while also jokingly referring to his position as a “glorified equipment manager,” though that really doesn’t do his role justice.

Collegiate hired Cooke in 2011 with the possibility of him starting an outdoors program already in mind. He had already had prior experience starting and working in outdoors programs at other schools, like Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Fork Union Military Academy, that run similar activities to what Outdoor Collegiate offers today. 

Beginning without a dedicated budget, much of the initial funds for Outdoor Collegiate came from outside donations. The program launched in the spring of 2011 with rock climbing at Peak Experiences, the only climbing gym in Richmond at the time. Initially quite barebones, only hosting between six and seven participating students in its first few years, Outdoor Collegiate didn’t even have buses for transportation, and underclassmen would ride in Cooke’s pickup truck while upperclassmen drove themselves. Back then, members of Outdoor Collegiate would have the opportunity to climb for two days of the week and explore the local James River Park System for the remainder of the week during the fall and spring seasons. The program steadily grew and acquired its own minibus. Despite this, there was still only a maximum of 13 members each season due to limited transport.

Brad Cooke riding a mountain bike. Photo courtesy of Brad Cooke.

This season, the rock climbing team has 53 members and climbs at Triangle Rock Club. In recent years, climbing has been introduced for Middle Schoolers as well. Additionally, Cooke now leads a team of Outdoor coaches, with Upper School biology teacher David Privasky heading Upper School climbing, and Middle School Innovation Integrator Dan Bell and Middle School math teacher Tara Connor leading Middle School Climbing. Middle School English teacher Nick Sberna leads Upper School winter wilderness and the Middle School Trailblazers program. Meanwhile, Upper School math teachers Glenn LaFerriere and Morgan Norge run Middle School mountain biking. While Cooke still oversees logistics for all activities, he also directly oversees whitewater paddling and Upper School mountain biking.

After its fourth year, in 2015 Outdoor Collegiate partnered with Riverside Outfitters to launch whitewater paddling in the fall season. Just like climbing, paddling started with minimal equipment. Over time, the first paddleboards, described by Cooke as “large” and “clunky,” were replaced by the sleeker Hala Atcha paddleboards and Torrent kayaks used now.

Mountain biking initially began as a Middle School program separate from Outdoor Collegiate, until it was merged and adapted as a JV sport for the Upper School in 2016 for its first six years. Some mountain biking athletes have even competed in races at the varsity level in years past

Winter wilderness members practice firemaking. The group on the left attempts to start a fire using a bow drill, while the right tries to keep a fire made from a pharaoh rod alive. Photo credit: Alex Yu.

The modern winter wilderness program was preceded by an older wilderness program that was started by former Upper School biology teacher Mark Reynolds, who was described by Cooke as a “Bear Grylls-level survivalist.” (Sberna recalls hearing an anecdote of Reynolds shooting flaming arrows from a bow on campus.) Activities from the old program resemble winter wilderness activities today, including firemaking, shelter construction, and navigating unmarked trails. 

During the restrictions of the COVID-19 era, the wilderness program was reborn in 2021 out of a desire to continue athletic activities, and local parks and the Robins Campus provided one of the only safe ways to continue staying active while outside. The Trailblazers program in the Middle School, another program run by Sberna for exploring natural environments, launched in 2024, allowing participants to go on backpacking and camping trips.

When asked what the most difficult part of running Outdoor Collegiate programs is, Cooke responded that “you have to collect so many forms,” especially in the winter. With 53 climbers that need eight forms each, it’s certainly challenging to keep track of what each student needs or has already turned in. Cooke also noted the challenge of managing so much gear and supplies to support each of the programs. In particular, maintaining the set of mountain bikes is quite difficult because of the required skill set and labor needed to ensure all of the bikes are in good condition for student use.

Another Collegiate project that has had a significant impact on Outdoor Collegiate is our school’s Stephen P. Adamson, Jr. (‘92) Ropes Course. Construction began in 2016 and finished in 2018 with support from former Head of School Steve Hickman, and Cooke led the effort to design, find placement, and find builders for the ropes course, despite having little prior experience with ropes courses. Listening to Cooke, I got the impression that the construction of the ropes course is something he is extremely proud of. Cooke values not only experience he’s gained, but experience that other faculty and students have gained from using the ropes course as well, including the lengthy training process other teachers need to operate it.

A student poses with a turtle they discovered while hiking in the James River Park System. Photo credit: Alex Yu.

When asked what the goal of Outdoor Collegiate is, Cooke had two responses. He replied, “I want the people who come back to Richmond and make their lives here to be fierce advocates for the James River Park System, because it is the crown jewel of the city.” Cooke pointed out the extensive use of the park system by whitewater paddling, Upper School mountain biking, and winter wilderness as the experiences he wants students to remember and be impacted by. Cooke also stated he enjoys “creating a passion” in students to want to do more of the kinds of activities they’ve experienced with Outdoor Collegiate. He says, “I love going out into the park system and seeing former students, and it happens all the time.” The other main goal Cooke has emphasized is keeping students safe. Especially during whitewater paddling, that means ensuring that students are capable swimmers, can identify signals and eddies, and know what to do in an emergency.

Whitewater paddling team members paddle down the James River. Photo courtesy of Brad Cooke.

As a participant, what sticks out to me most about Outdoor Collegiate is how you can challenge yourself as much as you’d like. On a day down the river with the whitewater program, if I’m tired from a long day of school, I can take it slower and sit on my paddleboard the whole way through. On the other hand, if I’m feeling more venturesome on another day, I can pick a new line nobody else has run before and try to stay on my feet the whole way through. Other students I asked seemed to have similar opinions. Regarding whitewater paddling, Logan Montoya (‘27) said, “It’s like a roller coaster, but you get to change the track every time.” Similarly, Douglas Miller (‘28) prefers Outdoor Collegiate because “it’s more adventurous than other sport options.”

Since its inception, Outdoor Collegiate has significantly expanded both in the number of activities and members. According to Cooke, around 84 students are involved across four different Outdoor Collegiate activities this winter. With both students and faculty involved who are adamant and enthusiastic about the program, Outdoor Collegiate will continue to thrive.