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Maryland Outdoor Club Announces May to July Event Schedule

COLLEGE PARK, MD May 10, 2003 – The Maryland Outdoor Club (MOC), a not-for-profit organization promoting adventure sports, travel and sociability, today announced its schedule for May through July events. Members can register for these events via the club's web site at http://www.marylandoutdoorclub.com" TARGET="_blank">www.marylandoutdoorclub.com. Membership is free and is open to all interested adults, regardless of skill level. Events vary in price, but are designed to be as low cost as possible.

Events currently on the schedule (which follows this release) include social activities – movie nights, clinics, picnics – as well as outdoor activities – hiking, biking, camping, rafting, and kayaking. The MOC maintains a calendar on its web site at http://www.marylandoutdoorclub.com/events" TARGET="_blank">http://www.marylandoutdoorclub.org/events where members can view event updates and detailed information on each activity as well as register and pay event costs.

The MOC, which celebrated the first anniversary of its founding in March, sponsors approximately 50 events per year and has more than 450 members. Primarily Maryland residents, members range in age from 20 to 60, with 85% of members in the 20-39 age range. Amy Pickwick, a Frederick, Maryland, native, who relocated back to Maryland in late 2001, founded the club. Pickwick based the MOC on a similar club she founded in Georgia in 2000, the Atlanta Outdoor Club, which now has over 1,000 members.

A Virtual Clubhouse

The MOC relies heavily on its interactive events and networking web site to allow people to sign up for membership, communicate with one another, register and pay for events, submit event feedback, and make suggestions for club improvements. Pickwick runs the administrative functions of the club from her home, so the web site is the backbone – the "virtual clubhouse" – of the MOC. Individuals can sign up for membership online in a matter of minutes. They can network with other members, interact with the officers, and register for upcoming events. The site offers a variety of other useful features, including adventure sport tips, online shopping, recommended links, and upcoming area events of interest. The lack of overhead for a physical office permits the club to continue to offer free memberships.

In addition to the web site, the MOC features a twice-monthly e-mail to its e-mail list group with breaking news and upcoming events, and an online/print monthly newsletter, the "Monthly Explorer." A monthly social/networking event is held to give members an opportunity to meet and socialize in person.

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