tIMe to shine

I was cross country skiing a few days ago, when I snow-plowed to an abrupt stop. In front of me was a steep downhill, and beyond that the day faded into white in the light snowfall. I had no plans that went farther than the next hour I’d spend at Breadloaf, so I stopped to savor the moment and gather my courage before letting myself descend downwards, slightly and exhilaratingly out of control.

Welcome to Winter Term, where academics take a back seat for most, and winter activities — skiing, IM sports and hockey games –– become the defining moments of the day. I picked up cross country skiing my freshmen year as a way to participate in the whole winter sports craze that I, being from Bethesda, didn’t really get before coming to Middlebury. Am I good at cross country skiing? Certainly not. I just move my legs really fast and hope I’ll make it up the hill without awkwardly slipping backwards. But I love doing it, and I love Winter Term for giving me the time to traverse the Vermont winter wilderness in a fun and leg-toning fashion.

While I was out on the trails, it struck me how rarely I come to a complete stop throughout the normal course of a semester at Middlebury, when my mind and body seem to be in continuous motion. Even thinking becomes exhausting, and working out is something to cram in between classes and getting on with the rest of your day. For this month, however, focus shifts (or disappears altogether), and what becomes important are the conditions at the Snow Bowl, the basketball team’s impressive 11-win streak and finally winning that Intramural champions t-shirt before you graduate.

It seems a stretch to some of my non-Middlebury friends when I tell them that January, the middle of winter in Vermont, is my favorite month of the year. But really, the cold disappears when you’re vigorously moving your arms and legs while cross country skiing or caroming around the ice with your IM broomball team. Even better, my weeknights are spent not in the library, but in the Bubble playing IM soccer. What’s not to love?

There is plenty of fun to be had during Middlebury’s frozen winters, and for me sports make up one of the best ways to enjoy your J-term. Coming to Middlebury, I’d heard all about the so-called “Yay Term,” talked about in reverent voices by alums and current students, but I was new to the frozen North so lacked winter sports experience and proper apparel. A couple years and several Patagonia jackets later, I’m more able to appreciate the wealth of winter offerings for the gift that they are, and more willing to brave the absolutely freezing winter nights to go out to a hockey game or play Paddle tennis. I’ve been swept up in the winter sports that Middlebury offers –– watching them, playing them, and using them as an excuse to enjoy the beauty of snow-covered Vermont.

As I’ve come to realize –– maybe it’s just because I’m going abroad in the spring and nostalgia is starting to kick in –– the month is fleeting, so pick up a hockey stick, some ski poles, or a broom and embrace this (relatively) work-free winter wonderland.

–– Katie Siegner ’12 is a sports editor from Chevy Chase, Maryland. Her hometown has a ridiculous name.