Chelsea Mills
The Annual Snowball Fight: Dartmouth's 23W Tradition
Nearly 4 weeks into the winter term, Dartmouth has already celebrated one of its most wholesome seasonal traditions: the annual campus-wide snowball fight. The fight is prompted by the first "big" snowfall. This year, it was marked by around 7 inches. The excitement that followed after, however, was boundless.
Snow started to pile up Thursday night. By the time we woke up, campus was covered in a stunning blanket of pure white. Virtually everyone (myself included) pulled out their phone cameras to capture it. Despite being a great photo op, what we were really excited about was the snowball fight.
Finally, at 4:20 p.m., we got the email. Dartmouth Alumnus Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss!) sends a cute poem to the community, officially announcing the start of the snowball fight that night. Before then, people just talk, speculating when the fight will actually happen.
I had heard so much about the tradition that I didn't take any chances to miss it. Midnight rolled around, and everyone made their way to the Green. I met up with my friends and we started to look for potential victims. There were literally snowballs being thrown in every direction; I tried my best to gather decently sized snowballs before getting hit myself.
I think everyone had a lot of fun—I definitely did. I like how casual and carefree the snowball fight was. Something about throwing a snowball just makes you feel like a little kid again. My hands were practically numb, but I made great memories. I know I'm barely halfway through my first year here, but this tradition is by far one of my favorites.
Winter in Hanover feels like more than just the weather to me. Dartmouth embraces the cold, snow, and all the fun that comes with it. If you're nervous about your first winter here, at least you have Dr. Seuss's email to look forward to. Don't forget your gloves! :)
Posts You Might Like
From a 5-minute walk to class at Dartmouth to a 55-minute metro ride in Berlin. Here's what a day looks like on the German-Engineering FSP.
From a tight-knit study abroad cohort to intimate classroom moments and inspiring literary talks, French has grown far beyond a minor — becoming a thread that runs through the most meaningful parts of her Dartmouth life.
"Hanover winter is not for the weak." As scary as this sounds, let me tell you what winter here is really like in Hanover!
A curated list of songs that create my ultimate "Dartmouth playlist."
Green Key weekend at Dartmouth was filled with concerts, free food, live music, reunions, and spontaneous moments with friends. Read on to hear why this weekend reminded me what makes spring term at Dartmouth feel so special.
Are you curious about Greek life on campus? Read on about my work as a leader in Alpha Theta Gender-Inclusive Greek House.
For this year's Winter Carnival, I was a co-chair and helped organize the festivities! Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the weekend!
My experience with rush, sororities, and Greek Life!
Thanks to West House, one of the housing communities I'm part of, I got the chance to go on an overnight trip to New York City. Read on to hear all about the experience!