University Snowriders Travel to Mt. Tremblant Canada
The Snowriders Club went on a snowboarding and skiing trip to Mount Tremblant in Quebec, Canada over winter break. The trip lasted from January 8 through 13.
“Mount Tremblant is one of the best mountains, and if you are able to experience it, it is truly life changing,” said Angela Rosa, President of the Snowriders Club, “Fresh powder with trails that are four miles long which is amazing.” Rosa has been President of the Snowriders Club for two years.
After a seven-hour bus ride, the Snowriders Club arrived in Canada. There were 31 club members on the trip in total, which was a decrease in the 102 members that attended the trip last winter break. “I was actually very pleased of how amazing this trip actually was,” said Rosa. “Since it was such a small group, everyone on the trip became very close.”
The Snowriders Club meets three times a semester to organize fundraisers and prepare for the trips as well as interest meetings. The Snowriders had no budget this year, according to Rosa, which made it difficult to put the trip together and cover the all of expenses. Although, according to Professor William Reynolds, a faculty advisor on the trip, the Club did receive $1,278 in special funding.
“My team and I worked together to do fundraisers and anything we could to get the trip to be as cheap as possible,” said Rosa.
The trip was $559 dollars, which covered transportation, lift tickets for four days, condo style apartments and extra activities like ice skating and tubing.
The club makes an annual trip to Canada, but has also been to other locations in the past. The club is currently working on putting together fundraisers so they can travel to Vermont and possibly Breckenridge Ski Resort and Vacation in Breckenridge, Colorado. The Snowriders Cub will be having a rose sale fundraiser on Valentine’s Day.
Bernadette Dunphy, professor of the biology department and main advisor for the Snowriders Club. The two faculty advisors that helped chaperone this trip were William Reynolds of the computer science and software engineering department and advisor of the Outdoors Club and Anthony Jamison, adjunct professor of the Criminal Justice Department.
“This year, 15 of us plus the advisors actually all went ice skating one night and we had a huge snowball fight!” said Rosa. Some students participated in other activities such as snow tubing and dog sledding. Some students traveled to Montreal to experience the city life. “Every night all the students got together and went out to enjoy the night life that is in the town,” said Rosa.
“The experience on the mountain for someone who is devoted to the sport is unbelievable,” said Rosa. “Friendships were formed and experiences were made that will never be forgotten.”
Reynolds has helped with chaperoning the trips to Canada for the last three years. He is available to the students to “discuss and solve various problems.”
Reynolds began working with the Snowriders Club after his teaching assistant and former Snowriders Club officer, Marcello Composto, asked him to help out.
“You’d be surprised how many on them come to the advisor each day, sometimes just to share what a great day they had on the slopes or to sit and visit over a cup of hot chocolate,” said Reynolds. “We also play a lot of Rummikub (a number-based tile game).”
“The Snowriders Club is an important part of the various student organizations at Monmouth,” said Professor Reynolds. “Our students are able to come together with others who have a passion to enjoy snowboarding and skiing. These are some very serious athletes.”
PHOTOS COURTESY of William Reynolds
