You arrive at the library on Sunday afternoon and decide a KAF trip is necessary to begin your day full of studying and browsing memes. The line is terribly long and continues to get longer as friends of the people in line try to execute the classic "chat and cut." After spending $20 which only gets you a sandwich, apple and a complimentary cup of water you embark on your quest to find an open spot, preferably not on First Floor Berry since you decided today was going to be about getting stuff done and not about facetime.
Twenty minutes later, breathing heavily and somewhat sweaty, you sit down at a dusty corner desk on the sixth floor of the stacks. As you rummage through your backpack looking for your computer charger that you most definitely left back in your room, it hits you the library is jam-packed because the best weekend on campus has arrived. The months of bitter weather, dry skin and chapped lips are forgiven because Green Key has knocked on Hanover's doorstep. We indeed know this, which is why we make a true effort to finish our work before the festivities commence. The last thing you want to worry about other than rain, of course is about that history paper that is due on the Friday of Green Key.
When your work is complete (read: when you've convinced yourself enough work has been done), you will be ready to take on Green Key and everything it brings. Starting on Thursday, the weather forecast looks phenomenal, so be sure to bring sunglasses with you when going outdoors. Remember how you got an email from that alum who graduated two years ago asking if she could stay at your house because "I really want to party with you this weekend, not just use your futon!"? Yeah, you are going to have to deal with that alum and many others starting on Thursday night starting at about 10 p.m. The alumni will return to their stomping grounds and try to turn the clock back to their golden undergraduate years. Since we are all in the prime of our lives as current students, we can surely help these dear friends of ours have a wonderful time, until they call it a night before the night even starts.
Most alums are really into post-breakfast pong, and, therefore, copious amounts of pong will be played this weekend. Green Key is a marathon of sorts, and the stamina of students will certainly be put to the test. We finish our homework early in the week so we can hang out with our friends early and often during Green Key. There will be parties during the day and there will be parties at night, so there are ample opportunities to be social and show off those YouTube-worthy dance moves.
In terms of sports, Green Key also marks the unofficial end of spring athletics. This is the last Sports Weekly edition of the term, which in turn means this is the last column I'll be writing this term. Furthermore, this column marks the end of my career as a columnist for The Dartmouth. Times are changing, but they have been changing ever since I stepped on this campus.
When I first started writing this column three years ago, I was an eager underclassman looking to make my opinion heard. Three years and many experiences later, I believe I surely accomplished that. I have made many friends because they recognize my name in the byline and chat with me about a certain column I wrote. When writing my columns, I look to say something that resonates with my peers, whether it be about professional sports, Dartmouth sports or something completely not related to sports. I truly love sports, and I hope that I have been able to show that over the last three years.
I want to thank all of you who read my column every Monday, as well as those of you who just randomly happen to take a gander at the back page of the Sports Weekly insert and come across my column. I'm ever so thankful to The Dartmouth for hiring me, and to the many sports editors I have had who put up with my late submissions. Writing this column has been an honor, and I wish the best to the future columnists of The Dartmouth sports section. Hasta luego, kids, and always remember that every Green Key is the best Green Key.
