Another week and another column sans Schmidley. Okay, so I should probably start by apologizing for last week's playoff predictions -- here's hoping Colorado lets me save a little face. More importantly, I've got good news for all my loyal fans. In addition to Toe-to-Toe, I'll be writing this column on a weekly basis. All three of you can now rejoice.
Could I really have enough to say twice a week? Well, that's a good question. I sure think so, but after the torment I experienced yet again in the ALDS, I could very well be mentally unstable. Not in the break-a-vacuum-post-blowing-game-two kind of way, but something like that.
This week, I'd like to reveal another side of myself. A side few have seen and even fewer probably care about. Dartmouth's campus is full of student-athletes. We watch and admire them, often showering them with praise in these very pages. Sure, we mock them from time to time, drawing their scorn, but we respect them. They represent our school, and we are proud of their accomplishments. But there is another kind of student-athlete. Often overlooked, his accomplishments are rarely marveled at, something I would like to change.
Recently, I joined the ranks of the P.E. athlete. I had taken P.E. skiing freshman winter, but was so turned off by the lack of challenging trails at the Dartmouth Skiway that I felt a bitter resentment towards having to complete a physical education requirement in the first place. Now, needing two P.E. credits to graduate by year's end, I decided to knock them both out this term.
Can I fairly call myself a two-sport athlete? I play tennis Mondays and Wednesdays. I golf Tuesdays and Thursdays. Where do I find the time? I may not have the 30-hour week some varsity athletes must endure, but even adding four hours of athletics into a full schedule can be a daunting challenge. Yet unlike freshman year, I no longer harbor resentment towards Dartmouth's physical education requirement.
The truth is, the only bitterness I currently feel is in having shunned P.E. classes for so long. It's still slightly ridiculous that Dartmouth requires three P.E. credits for graduation. Why, I could recount the tale of a former minor league baseball player who was told by the school that he needed to take three P.E. classes his senior spring in order to graduate, but I think we're all already on the same page here. What's more important is understanding the value in taking P.E. classes, not being required to take them.
Those closest to me know that I'm not exactly all that familiar with the gym. Athletic activity isn't a regular part of my daily routine. But I've always considered myself to be athletic. Unfortunately, I've also always considered myself to be somewhat lazy. Why go toss a football around when I can settle in for a session of Madden? At least, that's what I told myself. The truth is I lacked motivation. I have a weird way of functioning. My overactive mind constantly craves added incentive. And the added incentive of graduating was enough to get me back in the P.E. saddle.
I'm taking a new approach to my final year in Hanover. I want to do all the things I've missed out on. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not a cautionary tale of how not to spend your time at Dartmouth. But I'm interested in the little things that make life worth living. It wasn't until this fall that I stepped foot in Rauner. That's just stupid. Do yourselves a favor: go spend an hour in there. Look at some books and manuscripts from the special collections library. You'd be amazed at what you can find.
Similarly, don't wait so long to take P.E. classes. You can take something as straightforward as golf or as adventurous as ice-fishing. It doesn't matter what you're doing, so long as you're out there taking advantage of all that Dartmouth offers. Who knows, you just might cure the power slice that's been costing you a stroke per hole. You might meet someone whose path you might never have crossed otherwise. Or maybe you just might have fun.
All I know is this: the vast majority of people in both my P.E. classes are seniors in need of credits for graduation. Start sooner. Not just so that you can graduate, but for the sake of trying something new. And if that's not enough, then for the honor of calling yourself a P.E. athlete.
