club – Houghton STAR

By Sarah Burton

For the 2023 academic year, the Paddle Sports Club has returned to Houghton University. With many students enjoying the re-opening of the pool in the Nielsen Center, this club channels their enjoyment and provides students with another way they can utilize the pool.

One main event the club offers is a pool session, which is typically held every Tuesday night from 6:30-8 p.m. to practice kayaking skills.

Ryan Ballard, an instructor, describes the sessions by saying, “At these we will do a skill lesson right at the start and then we provide students with time to work on skills at their own pace either by themselves or with one on one help from an instructor.”

All of this is in preparation for several kayaking trips and a white-water rafting trip, which will take place later in the semester.

Ballard also explained the opportunities for learning and gaining experience from the club, stating, “It has been great refining my leadership and teaching skills through doing something that I am passionate about but not an expert in.”

For students unfamiliar with kayaking or paddle sports, instructors such as Ballard are there to offer their assistance and guidance.

Ballard expressed great passion for the club, providing personal accounts of how the club has allowed him to grow as a person.

For any students interested in the club or looking for something new and fun to do, he states, “I believe that students should join this club because oftentimes it pushes them outside of their comfort zones and it inspires confidence.”

With leaders and instructors such as Ballard, Paddle Sports Club is an opportunity for students to learn something new while building a greater community together. ★

It’s that time of year again; Houghton’s campus is blanketed in snow (well except for the rain earlier this week) and the air has a harsh winter chill.

Houghton ski club. Courtesy of Graham Bitzer

Many would consider this weather to be a nuisance, but as an avid skier I would encourage you to embrace the exciting sports that this season has to offer. After all, you wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the gentle melting into springtime and the bulbs stubbornly pushing through the snow without the ice and cold beforehand.

There are plenty of activities available to the adventurous Houghton student during the winter. To name a few, you can build an igloo or a snowman, have a snowball fight with friends, make snow angels on the quad, or go sledding down the Roth hill, sans cafeteria trays of course.
If you have a little more time on your hands, try renting snowshoes or cross-country skis from the gym; you can trek through the Houghton woods in a whole new way. If you’ve never been cross-country skiing before, find a friend who has taken a class and get a few tips. It is definitely a great form of cardiovascular exercise, and it is more exciting than going for a jog in the PEC.
Though downhill skiing and snowboarding don’t burn as many calories as, say, cross-country skiing, it can be thrilling to carve down the slopes and feel the wind on your face. If you have never gone before, Houghton is the perfect place to learn to ski or board; we have our very own ski hill, complete with a rope tow and ski shack.

The ski hill is open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 12:50 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Ski and snowboard rentals are $5 at the ski shack; you can’t get much cheaper than that!

After taking a few turns on the bunny slopes here, you may want to try out the big-leagues. Swain Resort is about a forty minute drive east of Houghton, and offers approximately 100 skiable acres. Wednesdays at Swain are college days, with a $25 pass and $20 rentals available to anyone with a valid student ID.
At a comparable distance of 60 minutes from Houghton in Ellicottville, NY, Holiday Valley offers about 282 skiable acres, and college students can get night passes for $28. For the more experienced skier or boarder, I would definitely recommend a trip to Holiday Valley; in fact, the Houghton College Ski Club takes a trip there every Sunday, and transportation is free in the college vans.
So however you feel about the cold weather and snow that Western New York winters bring, try to make the best of the conditions by getting involved in winter sports and activities. You will have much more fun, I promise!