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
A quick review of common ways to get to Dartmouth!
Read this post to hear about my first time skiing on Dartmouth's own ski mountain! My friends and I had so much fun :)
It truly does feel like a winter wonderland! Join me as I recap my first Winter Carnival at Dartmouth.
The Lunar New Year festivities continue! Here's a photo gallery of Korean Student Association, Malaysian Student Association, and Vietnamese Student Association's celebrations!
A weekend of embracing the cold and finding fun activities to do! From winning money at a game show to the Annual Snowball Fight, this weekend is a core memory of my experience with Dartmouth winters!
"Only three classes?!" The typical response I get from someone outside of Dartmouth. Come and join as I describe how those three classes actually feel in a ten week term!
Where can I find internships? How do resumes and LinkedIn work in college? Am I behind if I do not have it all figured out my first year? All great questions so let's get them answered…
A bit about the different organizations celebrating Lunar New Year on campus, and a photo gallery of Dartmouth Chinese Student Association and the Chinese Language Houses' celebrations!
You have to see it to believe it—my Winter Carnival scrapbook