Despite blustery cold Wisconsin winters, several winter sport activities are available for UWGB students to enjoy, ranging from snowboarding to sledding.

Frigidly fun activities, snowball this

Patricia Lawlor
Campus Compass

Below zero temperatures, ice and several feet of snow add up to an average winter in Northeast Wisconsin.
Some students choose to stay at home and hibernate by a warm fire. Others take full advantage of the opportunities and activities Wisconsin’s cold weather brings.
Judging from the large amount of members of the new ski and snowboard club at UW-Green Bay, downhill skiing and snowboarding may be the most popular activity.
“Snowboarding is my passion in life,” said Ben Geiger, club president. “I can’t wait for winter to come around again every year because I love it so much. It’s awesome that the school is able to help students pursue the things we love.”
Many others share Geiger’s passion for the sport. He suggests Ski Brule in Iron River, Mich., as the best place to ski in the region.
The next most popular activities, perhaps because they don’t require much skill, are sledding and tubing. Luckily for UWGB students, the university is located about a mile from the Triangle Sports Area in Baird Creek Parkway. There are three sledding, tubing and boarding hills, and for $1.25, students can rent a tube. Tow rope fees are $2.25. Even skiiers and snowboarders practice here.
For those student who like to fish, ice fishing is an adventure. When the water freezes over, Wisconsinites begin drilling holes through the solid ice. According to student Jake Saunders, an ice fishing regular, fishing on the Bay of Green Bay is a risky but rewarding activity.
“We aren’t very successful in doing it, but my friends and I try to fish a couple times every winter,” Saunders said. “We love it, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good time.”
Ice is also a necessity for the Olympic sport of curling. Similar to shuffleboard, athletes in this team game do their best to place a heavy stone in the correct spot. The Green Bay Curling Club at 781 Potts Ave. Green Bay has a long-standing reputation and hosts many tournaments throughout the year. It is especially busy during the winter. Open-play and leagues are available for those interested.
Students who prefer being outdoors may prefer Eagle River, two hours north of Green Bay. It has the title of the “snowmobile capital of the world.” However, other counties, including Brown County, have snowmobile trails.  
Cross-country skiing can also provide serious workouts and raise heart rates. It’s a Division I sport at UWGB, but it’s an activity for anyone. Renting a pair of cross-country skis and enjoying a nice leisurely glide through Shorewood Golf Course or UWGB’s Arboretum can be a calming and rewarding experience.
“Skiing is the simplest, most fun sport out there,” said Nate Balk, a former UW-Green Bay ski team member. “It’s relaxing, but at the same time, it can be very challenging.”

UWGB curling club officer, Preston Waala, gets into position for throwing the stone.    There’s no need to spend all the time outside during the cold winter months. Curling allows people to participate indoors year round.

Get plastered with balls, Nelson Paintball

Abby English
Campus Compass

Dustin Nelson is only 32 years old, yet the team he sponsors just won the World Cup.  
Most people have never heard of Nelson or his team, but most have heard about paintball, the sport that Nelson has built his business around.
While Nelson and his business—Nelson Field—may not be household names yet, about 300 Green Bay paintball enthusiasts go to his indoor and outdoor fields each week.
Although the focus of Nelson’s business is fun and recreation for people of all ages and skill levels, he also built a regulation X-Ball field for his successful paintball team—Team Boom.
X-Ball is a type of paintballing where teams battle each other, shooting flags instead of players to earn points. Team Boom has been recognized nationally, winning many titles, including series champions in its division at the World Cup of paintballing.
Nelson began his business by building an outdoor field in April 2007 in Greenleaf, which is about 20 minutes from the UW-Green Bay campus. The outdoor field has seven different courses that are designed for every level of paintballer.
Later Nelson established an indoor course, when owners of The Bar came knocking on his door, asking for paintball to be available at both of their local locations.
Customer interest in Nelson Field has been growing steadily. Numbers have doubled since the last outdoor season. Nelson was particularly surprised that a large number of newcomers were women.  
“When the girls play together, they have a great time,” Nelson said. “They stay a lot calmer than the guys. They don’t make stupid aggressive mistakes.”
Nelson’s new clients have allowed him to implement periodic Ladies Weekends, the first of which took place in November 2009.  
Nelson Field sets itself apart from its local competitors for many reasons.
The one reason it stands out the most is that it isn’t commercially advertised. Most new businesses depend on extensive advertising to get their name out to the public, but not Nelson Field.
“Word-of-mouth has been our best advertiser,” Nelson said.  “I’ve had people tell me I need to advertise more. If I did that, I’d have to raise prices.”
The low prices and professional atmosphere are what attract people to Nelson Field.
“When I went there, I had a great time because the referees don’t mess around,” said Chris Framness, a UWGB junior history major. “It was clean play. Everyone was friendly and helpful.”
Nelson Field has more than just paintballing. Owner Nelson spices things up with scenario games like “The Day of The Dead,” which involves shooting zombies, and “The Battle of Stalingrad,” which pits the Russians against the Germans.
During the 2009 Packer versus Viking matchup at Lambeau, Nelson Field set up at The Bar on the west side and invited people to take a few paintball shots at a Brett Favre Viking look-alike.
“We try to take the extra step for your dollar,” Nelson said.
That’s apparent in every aspect of Nelson Field. With the indoor and outdoor fields less than 20 minutes away from UWGB, it’s a great place for students and community members to enjoy the growing sport of paintball.  There are other paintball venues in the area, but from the groomed terrain to the quality of service, Nelson Field stands out.

Checking the cold at Cornerstone Hockey Arena

Cornerstone Community Ice Center is home to competitive skating leagues and the Jr. Green Bay Gamblers. It also offers open skating for enthusiast of all ages.