By Kyle Kittredge
Staff Writer
Winter is coming and with it, so is the cold sports season.
To prepare, the Recreation Society hosted a sports expo in the Granite State Room on Wednesday Nov. 18 to accommodate student equipment needs and boost energy by raffling off prizes and hosting live music.
Raffle tickets were only $1 with prizes such as snowboards, skis, winter hats, passes to ski resorts, mugs, cups and stickers.
Junior Rachel Bogart, the director of the Recreation Society, described the event as “if you like being outside, if you like adrenaline rushes, and action sports; pretty much if you’re a typical New Englander, you should be here.”
“We do it to make this cheaper for everybody, and if you put in a dollar you can win a free pass or something so it’s really enticing to people, especially broke college students,” Bogart said.
The event included live music performances from local bands such as Dogs That Know They’re Dogs, The Brotha Cats as well as musicians Jeff Wilson and Brady Megee.
Attendance at the event hit 100 people in just 15 minutes.
Also in attendance at the event were numerous organizations, adventure sports stores, and ski and snowboard resorts from UNH and the Northeast.
PAWS, or Pre-Orientation Adventure for Wildcats; Campus Recreation; UNH Ski and Board Club; and the New Hampshire Outing Club were there to encourage people to sign up and support outdoor activities.
“It’s a sharing experience with others and especially in the winter,” PAWS member Ryan Van der Heijden said about winter activities.
“This is such a great event for people who think being engaged in the outdoors is important, a lot of like minded people…it shows a community,” junior and NHOC member, Shannon Garvey said.
The New Hampshire Outing Club is hosting a ski trip to Cannon Mountain in December as a “good to put the winter gear to use,” Garvey said.
Recreation management and policy freshmen, Liza Gallagher and Maddie Blanchard said, “the vibe was good,” and “had good energy,” while also showcasing bikes that students were riding around the Granite State Room.
SnowRiders, a ski and snowboard production company comprises brothers Nick, Matt, and Mike Goyette, and Zach Heyman.
“We’re here because our event, the Winter Break Festival at Sunday River, is where college kids can get super discounted lift tickets during Sunday River’s College Week,” Nick Goyette said.
“It’s great for college students especially,” Goyette added.
However, a portion of the proceeds went to Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, a local, nonprofit, backcountry and environmental initiative.
Its mission is to preserve and protect Tuckerman Ravine and the slopes of eastern Mount Washington by raising money and do a number of fundraisers.
Part of its membership drive is to recruit some student volunteers and student members who want to sign up and offer a discounted rate to students, which right now includes a free ski ticket as part of their annual ski drive.
