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Woodland Ski Club Looking for New Members

Woodland Ski Club: a place to hang with friends, take your mind off of your worries, and hit the slopes. Members of the ski club go on several trips each winter to ski or snowboard on nearby mountains. Down at our regional middle school, Long River, the club proves to be similar in many aspects. But, as returning members of the WRHS club have noticed, there has been a decline in participation over the past few years, whereas the middle school program is still going strong. If the ski club at LRMS is so prosperous, why is there such a lack of enthusiasm for the club up at Woodland?

Last year, there were about thirty to forty students that participated in the club at the middle school level. In the same year, only 16 students were members of the ski club at Woodland. If two of those sixteen members had not joined the club, ski club would not have been funded by the school budget.

One of the reasons for the loss of participation could have been the budget itself. About five years ago, the school had lost a good portion of the budget that they could use, and it was detrimental to many sports and clubs, including ski club. Before the budget cut, the ski club could take several trips to nearby slopes, and one or two trips to mountains in Vermont, specifically Mount Okemo. After the cuts had been distributed, the ski club could only take roughly five trips to Mount Southington or other in-the-area slopes.

Another cause of the decline was other obligations, such as sports. Many students at Woodland participate in one or more sports. Coaches often make a rule that the only reasons to miss practice are if you are sick or getting help in school. If students are obligated to attend practices, games, or meets, they may not have the time to attend the trips that the ski club takes. Along with sports, students may also be obligated to religious events, scholastic help, or other forms of out-of-school activities.

Rose Reynolds, a returning member of the Woodland ski club, agrees.

“Previous members of the ski club just couldn’t get enough time,” says Reynolds. “Sports and other obligations most likely got in the way of being able to attend the ski trips.”

Though many students participate in other activities at the middle school, they don’t have as much of a strict policy of attendance for sports. Also, they didn’t suffer any budget cuts, so they have been able to maintain a variety of trips so that everybody has a chance to go on the trips, especially for those who can’t attend every trip.

“Even though the club has had a loss of participation over the last few years, it would be great to see a regrowth in the ski club,” says Reynolds. “The club is a great opportunity to ski, snowboard, and to create stronger bonds with friends and other classmates.”

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Jeff is a Staff Reporter for Hawk Headlines, and has spent one full semester at Hawk Headlines. He enjoys sunsets, long walks on the beach, and 24 hour netflix marathons.

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