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Trinity Outdoor Program continues decade-long partnership with one of nation's premiere outdoor adventure festivals
If you spend more than sixty seconds with Michael Stratton ’02, two things are likely: you’ll end up outside (if you aren’t already there), and you will learn something about the environment or outdoor sports — maybe even trying a new activity yourself. And while he is most recognized at Trinity as the heart and soul of the school’s Outdoor Program, Stratton is also synonymous with outdoor recreation far beyond Trinity’s campus. You may not be able to find his name on the official website for Dominion Energy Riverrock, but his footprints and fingerprints are quite literally all over the event. Stratton and his tireless crew of student volunteers are critical to the preparation, set up and execution of one of the nation’s largest outdoor lifestyle festivals.
An annual outdoor festival in Richmond, Dominion Riverrock draws enthusiastic crowds for three days of outdoor sports, music, food, and fun. This year’s event takes place downtown on Brown’s Island, May 16-18, 2025. The event first began in Richmond in 2009 as a passion project from Jon Lugbill, the executive director of Sports Backers, a Richmond nonprofit dedicated to inspiring people to live active lifestyles. Recognizing Richmond’s unique position as one of the only cities to have class 5 rapids running right through the heart of the downtown area, Lugbill harnessed the river to help visitors to understand the transformative powers of outdoor recreation and for beginners to have an entry point for trying something new.
An Olympian and world-champion whitewater canoe slalom racer, Lugbill is widely considered one of the best ever in the paddling world. (He is also the only paddler to ever appear on a Wheaties box.) “We wanted to turn participant-driven sports into spectator sports and drive people to both watch and participate,” says Lugbill of the genesis of Dominion Riverrock. “Audiences had been limited for these events (climbing, kayaking, etc.), so we turned it into a whole spectacle where you can watch and listen and try things.”
One of the competitors in those first events was Michael Stratton, who went on to compete in Riverrock paddling and mountain biking events every year until 2014. That was the year that Trinity’s Outdoor Program began assisting Sports Backers with the behind-the-scenes logistics of the event. “As the event grew in scope and scale, Sports Backers approached Michael and Trinity because we needed more people who knew what to do and could help newcomers try things for themselves,” says Lugbill of the origin of Trinity’s assistance.
In the week leading up to Riverrock, the Trinity Outdoor Program students will place the arrows and ribbon for all of the running and mountain biking courses. “We also provide a lead and sweep biker for all of the trail running events,” says Stratton. Students will also set up all the necessary equipment for paddle boarding and kayaking in the Kanawha Canal on Browns Island. “We will have roughly 100 students assisting thousands of participants as they try out a kayak or a paddle board,” he says. “And new this year, we will also be assisting participants who want to try out rock climbing.”
Feeling tired yet? Not Stratton or the Trinity Outdoor Program students. This is their Olympics. In addition to assisting with these logistics, many of the same students will be participating in Dominion Riverrock events like mountain biking, bouldering, SUP Cross and more. Drew Meyer ’26, Mac Mahoney ’27 and Thomas Jebo ’27 in particular are looking to make noise against national-level competitors. Even alumni like Van Malkie ’24, who is competing in USA Climbing events in college, also return to compete at Riverrock.
“Trinity students not only know how to do it, they are excellent and compete and do well in the Riverrock events,” says Lugbill “I see them all around the river and park system throughout the year, training and appreciating the outdoors. Some of the Riverrock events like trail running and mountain biking are hard to staff because people need to know the trails well. With Trinity kids, we can just tell them where to go and they already know what to do. It is a tremendous help.”
Lugbill also sees striking parallels between the mission of Dominion Riverrock and the mission of Trinity’s Outdoor Program. “Richmond’s outdoor scene has really cool stuff and you have to find it,” he says. “There are otters swimming in the river and bald eagles and then the views and the fog and the sunrises and sunsets are spectacularly beautiful. Trinity kids get exposed to that and the beauty in places where you don’t necessarily expect it. In a way, Trinity’s Outdoor Program has grown and expanded just like Riverrock and it is a testament to the fact that this outdoor scene in Richmond is worth celebrating and nurturing. The more people understand that, the more they care about the health of the river. The way Trinity has helped Riverrock grow and made these sports accessible has been awesome.”
And how does Lugbill characterize Stratton, the engine and leader of Trinity’s Outdoor Program? “A ball of energy,” says Lugbill with a laugh. “He’s super-energetic; his sharing of his joy for the outdoors is second nature to him. He doesn’t see himself as special, but he is special. I saw him at the New River Gorge several years ago, and he had a bunch of Trinity kids with him, and I realized this is him all of the time.”
As for Stratton himself, he is a person who eschews the spotlight. So what sustains his endless energy day after day, year after year?
“The driving force that keeps me going is my passion for the environment,” Stratton says. “At Riverrock, thousands of people want to try something they have never done and we want to make it a great experience because we want it to be something they enjoy and want to replicate or add to their lives. The more people are exposed to the natural elements of our environment, the more they care. It all stems from environmental stewardship.”
So make your way downtown to Dominion Riverrock this year from May 16 through 18, look for the Trinity students and try something new. You may even discover a new path for yourself.
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