9 Challenging skiing/snowboarding for college peers

Kejia (Vivian) Cui, Sonic Yao, Freya Huang.

“Exercise is also an excellent method to de-stress from the demanding college experience of schoolwork, exams, among many others. Sporting activities help to assist students in unwinding and decreasing distress.” (Quote from an online article discussing benefits of sports for college students). When it comes to university sports, many people immediately know that skiing/snowboarding is not considered the first sport. Why is that? According to one of our group members called Sonic as a snowboarder, he can confirm that it’s basically one of the best activities college students can do, and one that people should definitely try while they are young, flexible and take a few bumps here and there on the way down the slopes. While snowboarding can create long-lasting memories, provide endless amounts of fun, and inspire an entire community to help each other improve, it isn’t accessible to students at a university like how gym sports would be. The accessibility of snowboarding/skiing is restricted on a traditional campus setting of a university.

University students are all burdened with the stress of academic success and focused on achieving above and beyond. To achieve this purpose, they must create a good balance between academics, social interaction, sports, and extracurricular activities. Winter breaks are intended for this purpose, and many students take this opportunity to try skiing/snowboarding. From the planning stage to the traveling to the activities on and off the slopes, there are endless opportunities to bond and interact with different people and friends. The sports of skiing/snowboarding will leave us a deep appreciation for our friendship and memories that will endure the test of time, which is a valuable experience that students cannot gain when they spend time in class together and would not be able to accomplish. Only a Thick Institution can form these deep connections and generate inspiration. The stories and memories will come rushing back to us when we next see snow. We will share the same excitement and yearn for future adventures together. For some it has almost become an annual tradition to venture on these snowy adventures, bringing more people to the group each time. In comparison, going to class and sitting in a classroom accomplishes a sole purpose mainly for your own individual academic success, for your own development of skills and for your own knowledge learning process to then use it for your own future. A classroom to take courses is an example of a Thin Institution, and sports at a university teaches students in a totally different perspective.

At a university setting, snowboarding requires a lot of planning, equipment, and budget. It certainly is not something you decide to do and head out the next day, which is perhaps one of the main reasons students don’t think about snowboarding or skiing when they are asked about sports in the university. The limited accessibility, the budget required to purchase equipment, and time/opportunity cost it takes to learn the sports all are factors that reduce the number of students participating in skiing/snowboarding, especially on campus. According to a student at a university, most of the sport opportunities were offered either on campus or at the recreational buildings. In addition, they stated that while they have been skiing once, they “didn’t have the best experience, probably because I didn’t know how to ski”.(quote from others) For skiers and snowboarders, it may be extremely exciting to go back on the slopes. For beginners, the initial reactions of them towards snowboarding and skiing can actually seem frightening and scary. On top of that, without many opportunities from the university and access to friends that can teach, it proves to be a difficult sport to get into in a university setting.

As we mentioned above, skiing/snowboarding is restricted on college campus settings so that most common examples of sports on campus are basketball, table tennis, and badminton. Those types of sports are easy to learn and develop skills. For this reason, those types of sports and exercise are often included in schools’(middle school, high school, and college) recreational centers and playgrounds. Even though skiing and snowboarding for the beginners are very challenging and time-consuming, those two sports are activities that truly establish a good balance between school work and extracurricular events. According to a student at UW, she claims that she is highly interested in learning how to ski or snowboard; however, she is reluctant about learning skiing because of the high costs and inconvenience of traveling to a distant place to play it during school weeks. “Skiing is a fun activity and I am enthusiastic about it. But I think the places that enable me to practice skiing/snowboarding are very limited, while the time and cost required for developing this skill are a lot for me.” College students can escape the routine of their academic lives, experience the thrill of speed, and enjoy the exhilaration of performing tricks or conquering new terrain. These activities can bring joy and a sense of adventure to their college experience. Skiing/snowboarding is also a good way to relieve stress and establish a sense of accomplishment when they witness the gradual improvements as they practice over and over again.

Skiing/snowboarding is also a good method of offering opportunities for personal growth and challenging one’s limits. College students can set goals, overcome their fears, and continue to take on new challenges as they progress, directly increasing their confidence, resilience, and self-esteem. Many college students often are trapped at their school work/grades and rarely discover their potential. Some students lack interest in participating in certain clubs or extracurricular events. By learning and practicing skiing/snowboarding, students have chances to develop their hobbies and discover their personal potentials through outdoor exploration. Skiing/snowboarding often take place in outdoor environments, which allows college students to explore natural landscape, parks, and mountains. The time of hanging out with friends to appreciate the beauty of natural environments and decrease their stress. The social interactions with others, the vision from natural beauty, and the enjoyment of skiing all contribute to the process of enriching one’s experience while also forming a hobby and relieving pressure from great academic workloads.

One important takeaway from our story is that skiing/snowboarding is a meaningful sports activity that also broaden college students’ horizons because students have more chances to visit various natural environments and move towards collegiate ideals. Another primary takeaway is the benefits of doing sports, the way sports help people to establish friendships, and how sports promote the essence of certain characters (e.g. team-spirit, collaborations, and community belonging). As one of my classmates mentioned, he claims that he received unexpected outcomes from interacting with other group members who ski/snowboard together. “I learn how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and playing with them makes me realize the team-spirit is an important lesson.”

All of that aside, if you are just a little bit curious about snowboarding or skiing, we urge you to give it a try. Even though opportunities are scarce and seem like an impossible mission, it may just bring the balance back in your life from stressful academic learning and busy schedules.

ChatGPT Disclaimer: Two members used ChatGPT to have AI provide several suggestions regarding the benefits and usefulness of skiing/snowboarding. ChatGPT is a wonderful tool for information retrieval and framing basic ideas. 

Reference List:

1. The benefits of sports for college students – technut. (n.d.). TechNut. Retrieved May 17, 2023, from https://blogs.ubc.ca/technut/the-benefits-of-sports-for-college-students/
2. “The importance of Place and Connectedness” —Chapter 2 (class material)
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJl98t69m2k, A Youtube Video about Freestyle Skiing Through School.