The Outing Club will kick off the start of March in service, as some members will head to Waterville Valley, N.H., to assist Special Olympians.
Bert Poirier, advisor for the group and senior associate of admissions, said the partnership stemmed from a need for younger volunteers.
“I’ve been involved with the Winter Special Olympic Games for quite a few years now and as we were all aging as volunteers, it was brought to my attention a few years ago that maybe some students might be able to tag along,” Poirier said.
With the group transitioning from the Ski and Snowboarding Club to the more generalized Outing Club in recent years, Poirier said volunteering has grown exponentially. “We came with four or five the first time around and slowly but surely as a result of the leadership of this current Outing Club … it’s really grown,” he added.
As the trips have become popular among students, KSC has gained the recognition of Gov. Chris Sununu. “Governor Sununu happens to also own Waterville Valley [Resort], so he’s even acknowledged us,” Poirier said.
In terms of what volunteering looks like, Poirier said it is varied.
“They get to set up the racecourses, they set up the gates, they break them down, they also assist athletes,” Poirier said. “They’ll set them [athletes] up and help them stage and bring them to the starting gate and meet them at the bottom at the finish gate, so it’s all hands on deck.”
For those who do not have experience skiing or snowboarding, Poirier said there are administrative and other duties they can do to help out.
“We encourage as many students to come so they can take advantage of this experience,” he said.
The upcoming trip will take place from March 3 to March 5. Poirier said the days are jampacked for volunteers. “We typically leave very early on Sunday, we’re there usually by 10 [a.m.] … we’re pretty tired [when] we come home on Tuesday late afternoon and you’ve put in your time,” Poirier said.
Junior Zach Christie, president of the Outing Club, spoke about his experience during the club’s March 2023 trip.
“I learned a lot about the athletes, I hadn’t had prior experience with the Special Olympics so getting to interact with the different athletes and seeing how excited they were, seeing how awesome it is for them to be able to have the opportunity to come and compete and be a part of that atmosphere, I think that was the best,” Christie said.
While most Outing Club trips are open to everyone, Christie said the Waterville trips are more limited in numbers. “We have a lot of interest and we’re probably going to have 10 to 20 more people sign up than we have space on the trip [for],” he said.
Christie said the club will now pick a roster of students to come, specifically looking for those with more experience skiing or snowboarding, or previous experience with the Special Olympics. “We’re reviewing that in the upcoming week, who’s actually going to be on the final roster,” he said.
For those who do not make it on the list this year, Christie said there will be opportunities in the future. “Last year we only sent 10 people and this year we’re sending 18 so there’s a pretty significant increase in that, but as long as the Special Olympics is willing to keep working with us and we keep having awesome experiences with them and they keep wanting us to come back, we’ll certainly keep doing the trip,” Christie said.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
