Venture Out

» TRAV EL Ven Out BY KATE HELLER
This Gainesville group
chooses living over loafing
ine and food tasting, horseback riding and
sliding down the
longest zipline in America are just
a portion of the Adventure Club
agenda. The events show up on
the club's Web site along with the
status of each member planning to
attend.
In January the group went
skiing in the Rocky Moun tains
at Steamboat Springs, Colo., and
another group went indoor skydiv­
ing at SkyVenture Orlando. The
Gainesville-based club hosts 18-20
events a month .
Singles and couples, young and
old fonn the Adventure Club, and
the events give them someth ing
to look forward to, somethmg to
clutter their previously empty
calendars.
Members stress that the group
was not created for singles to meet
other singles , for that they could
visit online dating services. The
Adventure Club is a social club that
foc uses on activities, outdoor or
otherwise, to occupy Gainesville
residents who are looking for
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28
Spri ng 2 010
excitement and camaraderie.
Jean Tokarz, a longtime member
and leader for the Adventure Club,
discovered the group after her boss
suggested that she attend a "Meet
and Greet" in 2004. The 33-year­
old soon joined after she noticed
the variety of people involved.
Shortly after becoming a member,
Tokarz went skydiving for the first
time. Aided by her natural love
of outdoor activities, Tokarz was
thrilled by the experience. She now
has over 300 personal jumps.
After a few years of attend­
ing activities, Tokarz decided to
administer a few events herself
and become a leader. Leaders post
ideas on the Web site and wait for
responses. Tokarz takes groups to
Skydive Palatka for her favorite
activity, but she also runs smaller
events such as wine and food tast­
ing. Each event is an opportunity to
meet people with similar interests.
"I met a great variety of people,"
Tokarz said . "Some of my best
friends have come out of this
program."
Nine years ago, Jere Steele
Our TO\Nn
traveled to Providence Canyon
State Park or "Georgia's Little Grand
Canyon" for a hike with the club.
Steele was immediately attracted
to the group's "off the couch"
philosophy.
Steele, 64, got more involved
and became a leader, posting
events from hot air ballooning to
skydiving. He bought the club from
its previous owner two years ago
and since then has stressed the
cliffe
oth.e
T
site
for E
part
preI
eorr
aw :
not ,
den
differences between his group and
other meet-up sites.
The Adventure Club uses its Web
site to get an actual headcount
for each event. Headcounts are
particularly help ful when ordering
prepaid tickets . Requiring online
commitment organizes the club in
a way that other meet-up sites do
not, Steele said.
Constraints often caused by
demographic differences are also
avoided. Ages range from 28 to 76
years old.
"Age doesn't matter," Steele said.
"The club doesn't break off into
other cliques."
When a group went whitewater
rafting last summer, two partici­
pants were over 60, but everyone
still shared cabins and rafted
together. Similar interests pushed
age off the table.
The Adventure Club requires
www.VisitO urTowns.com
a monthly fee of$14.95, which is
used for operating expenses and
supplies. Individual events could
also have fees that depend on the
nature of the trip. For example, a
bicycling excursion in France and
an all-girls cruise required t he
participants to pay for everything
themselve~, but hikes around town
are free.
Steele hosted the annual Teddy
Bear
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
Spring 2010
29
PHOTOS PROVID ED COU RTESY OF
TH E ADVENTURE CLUB
LEFT: Floating in a hot-air balloon
is just one example of the many
activities enjoyed by members of the
Adventure Club. Members drive to
Davie, FL to Wallaby Ranch once a
year for ballooning and hang gliding
the secon d w eekend in November.
said club member Sharon Julien .
PREVIOUS PAGE: Members of the
Adventure Club white-water rafting in
the Colorado River last summer.
Christmas party on Dec. 5. The
party is one of the community
events held by the club every year.
Participants w ere required to bring
their favorite h ors d'oeuvre and a
teddy bear to be don ated to Toys
for Tots or the Ronald McDonald
House. This year, about 100 people
attended the party.
Despite being located in a
predominately college-aged town,
the average age in the group is 44,
said Steele, w ho has a degree from
the University of Florida. The club
has abollt 105 members, but the
number is constantly changin g as
the club accepts new memberships.
30
Spring 2010
The solidity of the group relies
on the respect of each member's
individual ability to partake in the
activities.
The group is also used as a sup­
port system. If members need help,
there are plenty of people to step
up with solutions. When Jess Elliott
needed to build an extension on a
chicken coop, she posted an event
on the club Web site and was soon
aided by fellow members.
As a recently divorced 40-year­
old, Elliott was looking for events to
fill the empty space on her calen ­
dar, but she was also a self-labeled
"commitment-phobe."
Our ToW'n
"In the past, I have joined clubs
or taken classes, and sooner or
later I resented the obligation to
show up every Thesday," she said.
The Adventure Club presented
Elliott with the option to choose
her own schedule. After becoming
a leader, Elliott, now 44, introduced
the club to an event called "photo
road rally." The road rally was
a photo scavenger h unt where
participants were teamed-up and
given a course, clues, trinkets to
collect, as well as places to take
pictures . Cops and shopping carts
were used for photo settings. Elliott
also hosted a Halloween party
complete with a zombie walk,
motion-activated ghosts and a
graveyard with a fog machine.
Attendance e tiquette is
extremely important, as it makes
preparation easy for leaders.
An event sign-up sheet is located
on the Web site, and members
have a yes -or-no status f OT each
posted event.
Hosts h ave a good idea of the
turnout, and members are true to
their word . The turnout is usu ally
92 - 100 percent of the RSVP list,
Elliott said. This way, groups are not
stuck waiting fo r people Who never
show up, no one is left behind and
leftovers are rarely a problem.
The Adventure Club is always
accepting new members who are
eager to get off the couch and into
a w orld packed with opportunity. •