As January quietly turned into February, the national sports scenery rapidly changed. To give you a quick update, pitchers and catchers will report to MLB spring training in under a week, and the long and arduous journey also known as the NFL season has finally come to an end (congratulations to the Packers, you now officially have four more Super Bowl titles than my poor Philadelphia Eagles).
At Dartmouth, the sports scene is gradually shifting as well. When I mention February sports to Dartmouth students, there are usually three categories of common responses. A) I only have three more weeks to get out to the Skiway! Ughh where did the whole winter go? B) Can't wait for the temperature to hit 60, so I can get on the Green and show off my frisbee flick. C) Sports? Are you kidding? I'm not leaving this library until all of my finals are over.
If you belong in group A, drop this paper right now and catch the next bus to the Skiway. If you belong in group B, do not fret: According to my calculations based on groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, there are only 24 days of winter left! If you belong in group C, well, this column is written for you. There are so many great opportunities to experiment with sports here that you are bound to find one that you enjoy. For this week's top 10, I present to you the top 10 sports to try at Dartmouth (even if you will have to wait until spring to play some).
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Rugby Despite popular belief, rugby is not simply football without pads. The two sports have completely different rules and scoring systems. But I am not going to pretend to be an expert on rugby, so why don't you check out the Dartmouth men's or women's rugby team and see for yourself?
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Volleyball For some reason, guys aren't supposed to play volleyball in America. My high school had a girls' varsity volleyball team, but no boys' team. Dartmouth has a varsity women's volleyball team, but no varsity men's team. Why? I think volleyball is a great team sport for both guys and gals, especially when you can show off that sexy body while playing on the beach.
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Water polo Water polo looks like a really fun sport, and my suggestion would be to check out the Dartmouth water polo club team and see if it's right for you.
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Tennis The Dartmouth indoor tennis area, the Boss Tennis Center, is one of the best collegiate tennis facilities in the country so you can pick up a racket and start hitting balls around even when there's multiple feet of snow outside!
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Golf What's so hard about hitting a little white ball into a hole, you say? Rent out a set of clubs and try it out for yourself at the Hanover Country Club golf course. You will realize golf is much harder than it looks on TV.
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Ultimate Frisbee Before you start naming all of the stereotypes that are often associated with frisbee players, answer this question: Have you ever seen a high-level frisbee competition? If you have, then you probably have a much deeper appreciation for the sport. The game of frisbee involves a multitude of strategies and skills, and the Dartmouth Ultimate Frisbee teams are an excellent way for beginners to learn in a fun environment.
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Snowboarding/Skiing Not many colleges around the country offer its students a school-owned skiway, so go out there and ski away! (Just make sure you learn how to brake first, or at least how to gracefully fall.)
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Boxing There are no other sports that can earn you the label of "hard guy" faster than boxing. I might be biased since I'm from Philly, but Rocky Balboa serves as the perfect model for you self-proclaimed tough guys. If you want to man up or you simply want a great way to work out, check out the Dartmouth Boxing Club, which is open to all students and faculty with varying levels of experience.
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Squash I had never played on a squash court before I came to Dartmouth. I will probably never play on one after I leave Dartmouth. It is a deceivingly demanding sport and a great cardio workout. The best part: The courts are free for student use, provided you wear white soled shoes.
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Pong Just kidding. But not really.
