As the winter came to a close, Black Rock FC had an exciting time skiing at the top of Whiteface. Many of the international students who had never seen snow before enjoyed learning how to ski or snowboard with help from their teammates. Here are what some our soccer players thought about their experience:
Mr. Kelvin Martinez (right) with Mr. Jamie Welsh on Excelsior in the winter of 2018-19 (Photo: Ms. Marcy Fagan).
Pedro Paggi ‘19, who skied for the first time, said, “It was unbelievable how one experience can change your life. I had such a great time doing another sport other than football, and I loved it. In my first minute, I almost had a really awful crash when I couldn’t break. I almost stopped in a tree. It was unforgettable.’’
Alex van Schalkwyk ‘19, a first-time snowboarder, commented, “[Learning how to snowboard] was an amazing experience. It was difficult at the beginning, but as time went on, it started becoming easier. By the end of the day, we all went down from the summit, which was crazy. I ate a lot of snow, but it was worth it. I’d definitely do it again.”
Mateo Rodriguez ‘20, an experienced skier, said, “We had a great time skiing. At first, it was quite challenging for those of us who already knew how to ski well. Although at first, some of the first-time guys struggled, they soon started to gather up confidence in themselves and began going down the hill more comfortably! Not only was it a truly fun activity in which we got to spend time with our close friends in a very different environment, but it was also a great team-building exercise for the group as a whole.”
Anton Johansson ‘20, who had skied before, was also surprised at the progress his teammates made throughout the day. He said, “We all had a great time at the mountain. The first couple of hours, a lot of the guys had a hard time. But after a while, they started going down the slopes without a problem. We ended up having a wonderful day with a lot of laughs.”
Kelvin Martinez, the soccer coach, was proud to see his team trying a new sport. “When we first announced the trip, there was a lot of hesitation. Many players preferred holding our usual soccer training, but in the end, their first question was, ‘When can we go again?’ It was great to see our players doing something outside of their usual routine, something many of them have never done in the past. I think that twenty years from now, this will be one of the experiences these young men will talk about: the time their soccer team, comprised of players from nineteen countries, went to take on Whiteface Mountain,” Martinez said. He added, “Many of them have committed to keep improving their skiing abilities on their own. Overall, it was a great day for the soccer team at Northwood. The boys truly enjoyed spending the entire day at the mountain.”
