Adam Pfleegor, Ph.D., associate professor of management, wasn't interested in having his students visit Costa Rica, he wanted them to experience it. So, they spent 11 days over spring break surfing, zip-lining, and canyoning their way through the Central American country.
Ecotourism naturally played an integral role in the Sport, Adventure, and Ecotourism travel course. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of local people, and emphasizes education. You don't think that can co-exist with spring break fun? Well then, you've never traveled with Professor Pfleegor.
"This trip was life changing for me," said Joe Lemery '26, a sports communications major. "Being able to walk through life through a different lens and perspective is always so valuable. I enjoyed embracing the Costa Rican culture and making efforts to speak to locals in Spanish. I’m so grateful to Adam Pfleegor and Laura Paul (Ph.D., teaching assistant professor of management) for putting this trip together and giving us this opportunity!”
The adventure began in San Jose, before traveling through Liberia, and ending in Samara. Pfleegor wanted the students to fully immerse in the culture and ecotourism industry. So rather than scheduling classroom lectures, they focused on activities that actively engaged with partners, organizations, and locals throughout the trip.
“Costa Rica was an unbelievable and unique experience," said Steve Jones '27. "Being able to meet those individuals in the sports information director roles was really a huge part of networking and a privilege overall, as well as one of the highlights of the trip, too!”
Some of the other highlights included attending a Premier League match between LD Alajuelense and Puntarenas, training with the LD Alajuelense coaches at their training facility, exploring historic San Jose, zip-lining, canyoning, and dipping into a volcanic hot spring at Hacienda Gauchepin, attending surfing school on Playa Samara, paddleboarding to and snorkeling around Isla Chora, spotting howler monkeys on a hike up Samara Trails, and doing a jersey exchange with AD Guanacasteca.
For many of the students, Pfleegor had them at "sport" and "adventure." That wasn't necessarily the case for biochemistry major Phia Guertin '25:
"I am not a sportsy or adventurous person, so I had no idea what this class was going to bring. I felt very out of place at first. I did not know Professor Pfleegor beforehand either, so I was initially just taking this course for the credits and as one last chance to travel before I graduate in May. That quickly changed.
I became friends with everyone on that trip, and I did things that I never thought I would do. I am terrified of heights honestly, and yet I went canyoning and zip-lining through the trees. I was also terrified of surfing and paddleboarding; I am generally bad at things that require balance. However, I stood up a good number of times on the surfboard, and I paddleboards for about 30 minutes to an island off the coast of Samara beach.
I'm gonna be a biology nerd for a second. I think my favorite part was when we took a morning hike through the dry woods in Guanacaste. There was a group of howler monkeys that were so cute, and you could hear that whenever they eat something, they drop what they don't want through the foliage.
All in all, it was a really cool trip! I suggest that if you have the chance, go with Professor Pfleegor as well. He is an amazing professor and a really good travel buddy."
