Matthew Monroe

Having a tap-dancing background, Irish Dance has always been something I’ve wanted to try. Well, now I can say that I have, and it’s a lot of fun. Irish Dance meets once a week in the Alumni Gym to learn new steps, practice routines, and put together fun group dances. It’s a great workout (my calves were on fire the following day) and a delightful way to improve your balance, learn fun routines, and get to know other people with similar interests.

Before coming to Dartmouth, I had never really skied. Although I’ve yet to hit the Dartmouth Skiway, this past week, I made the trek into Pine Park to Headcorders, the meeting spot for Dartmouth Club Nordic. Nordic (or cross-country) skiing is very different from what a Floridian such as myself would typically imagine skiing to be. After suiting up, hitting the (moderately uphill) slope, and falling down about a dozen times, I finally started to get the hang of it. It’s tough, and I’m really bad at it, yet it’s so fun that I’m determined to improve. I’ve even started using some of the Nordic ski-geared workout equipment in the student fitness center! Hopefully, next time, I can make it around the loop with a few fewer scrapes.

After I was accepted to Dartmouth, I went through a very long waiting phase where I got really excited about all of the minutiae of college. I remember walking around campus on Google Earth, hunting through the Wikipedia pages for new facts about the school, and spending who knows how many hours reading through blog posts (very full circle). On this search, I came across the Dartmouth Timber Sports Team and knew I had to try it. Timber Team is both a chill extracurricular club and an actual team that competes at regional Timber Sports events. At practices, club members learn to saw logs, split wood (my favorite activity), build fires, and even throw axes. Then, once a term, they head to a competition with other New England schools. Although my hands were freezing and I ended up very, very sweaty, I had a fantastic time. Despite being very exerting, chopping wood is somehow quite calming. Every time I’ve felt stressed the past few days, I’ve found myself wishing there was a log nearby I could turn into firewood. I’m taking this newfound appreciation for cellulose a bit further and getting certified to use Dartmouth’s woodshop next week, so if anything exciting comes of that, I’ll be sure to post about it!