The wind blows into your face as the trees on either side of the slope fly by you. Your feet stay planted as your skis glide across the freshly fallen snow and you sway from left to right, dodging between fellow skiers as you descend the mountain. You couldn’t be more happy than to be skiing along with your friends and fellow Woodland Ski Club members.
The Woodland Ski Club, a club made for students who enjoy skiing and snowboarding, was created in 2004 by Chris Misuraca. Misuraca, an arts teacher at Woodland, enjoys skiing and wanted to establish a club for students who share in this hobby.
While the ski club is not competitive, it does make many trips to Mount Southington throughout the winter months for members to practice their skiing and/or snowboarding. This year, members made their first trip to Mount Southington on January 5th and have many more to look forward to throughout January and February.
Going into the 2017 skiing and snowboarding season, Misuraca is especially looking forward to the ski club trip to Bromley Mountain in Vermont scheduled for February 25th. For skiers and snowboarders alike, the trip is a great experience because the family style mountain has a great uphill capacity, meaning that the lift allows skiers more time on the hill and they spend less time waiting in line for the lift. Likewise, students and staff do not have to be a part of ski club in order to go on the trip to Bromley. Misuraca states that anyone who wants to go is able to, regardless as to whether they are a member of ski club or not.
In the past, Misuraca says the ski club would make two or three trips to Bromley. However, after the economic change in 2010, the ski club was unable to continue to and has not since then. But, this doesn’t distinguish the hope Misuraca has that the upcoming trip will reignite students’ interest in going. Between the bus ride there with friends and the actual skiing/snowboarding experience, Misuraca hopes that if the student population re-discovers how fun it is, there will be more trips to Bromley in the future.
Eric Wrogg, the president of the Woodland Ski Club, joined ski club in his freshman year. During Welcome to Woods, an event showcasing the different clubs Woodland has to offer, Wrogg says he instinctively went to the Woodland Ski Club table. After seeing that some of his friends had signed up and that the club tries to run a Vermont trip every year, he was sold. Prior to joining ski club, Wrogg says he wanted to join ski club in middle school but never got to. However, Woodland Ski Club allowed his skiing experiences to really kick off. Going into the 2017 season, Wrogg says that many ski club members, including himself, have bought or received new skiing and snowboarding equipment and are excited to try it out on the slopes. He adds that his favorite part about ski club is getting to see people of all different backgrounds having a great time together for an afternoon.
If you enjoy skiing or snowboarding, the Woodland Ski Club is definitely for you. With annual trips to Mount Southington and the upcoming trip to Bromley in Vermont, the ski club offers a great opportunity to spend time with friends while enjoying the slopes.
