There were eight Ball State scuba and sailing club members who packed up their gear, piled into two cars and drove 28 hours to Florida for spring break. The group ventured to Key West for a week of sun, sailing and diving. They began traveling early Friday morning and returned to Muncie Sunday afternoon.
The divers didn't restrict themselves strictly to the Keys. They enjoyed some island hopping by traveling to other tropical locations including Key Largo and Cape Canaveral.
"We checked out the wildlife and had a great time, Dustin Clark said. He's co-president of the club and made the majority of the arrangements. He even used his car to transport people. He's went on the trip for the past three years.
"This is the first year everyone really got along until the bitter end," he said. "99.7 percent of the trip everyone got along."
Traveling to tropical locations can be expensive. To assist with the cost of the trip the group hosted several fundraising events. Last semester, they constructed approximately 300 wreaths for the Christmas season. The trip cost roughly $400 per person. Expenses included lodging, food, shopping and renting gear if they didn't have it.
The most costly expense was paying for gas. They split it up among them by taking turns filling up the vehicles.
"The worst part was paying for the gas," Julie Birdsong said.
Members were required to pay money in advance to help with the cost of lodging and pitch in for miscellaneous costs.
Birdsong has been a member for the past three years and she's held several offices including treasurer and secretary. This was her first year for going on a trip with the organization. In addition to her five others were making the trip for the first time.
Spending a week in Florida definitely has its advantages. Watching the sunset over the ocean was a group favorite.
"The weather and diving for me personally was the best part," Clark said. "It was at least 90 degrees everyday and it only rained the last day when we left."
In addition to the great weather and sites, the atmosphere also included other college students enjoying their spring break. The group spent the nights shopping, eating and enjoying street performers. They also took in the culture and traveled to the southernmost point of the state.
Scuba club members went on several dives during the week while the sailing members sailed for only two days because of the expense. It cost $45 for two hours of sailing on the water. The divers got to see a sunken tugboat and a variety of tropical fish.
"We had so much fun," Stacy Sienkiewicz said. "The biggest thing we did was the sunset snorkel. We went seven miles out into the water and got to see huge stingrays, sharks and beautiful fish."
This is her first year in the club and she serves as co-president with Clark. This was also her first time on the trip.
"The Keys are the home of beautiful sunsets," she said. "It was just an awesome experience."
After a week of soaking up the sun, making memories and taking over 1,000 photos it was time to return to Muncie and hit the books again. Clark admitted none of them were ready to leave and return to Ball State.
"We didn't think about school," Clark said. "No one brought homework and we woke up late everyday."
The scuba club was formed nearly 15 years ago and was recently combined with the sailing club. It currently has approximately 40 members. When Clark joined the club four years ago there were only 17 members. The organization is advised by Carol Reed and Seeman Baugh. Baugh known as "CB" for coach Baugh joined Reed a couple of years ago. The advisors remained in Muncie during spring break.
Members meet on a weekly basis. Sometimes they meet two or three times a week depending on what is going on. For the spring break trip they met regularly to finalize plans for lodging and food. Sometimes the meetings are comprised of strictly business and other times they meet in the water.
There are no requirements to join and training isn't required. Students who join will be trained and certified. They're always looking for new members. Clark said the club was built on a word of mouth basis, but now they get involved in recruitment projects.
They'll be in full scuba gear explaining the club at the scramble light later this semester. They're also planning an underwater Easter egg hunt sometime in April.
In addition to recruiting new members they're planning to have a scrapbook party this week. They'll compile photographs from the trip and other events they've hosted this year. The final meeting of the year will include the election and installation of new officers.
The organization is very laid back. There aren't any parliamentary procedures implemented.
"For the group that's just a phrase," Clark said. "No one has to raise their hand to speak."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
