Proctor Academy - Bud's Blog

Every skier spends several hours on a cold September day, anticipating and planning out their ski season. This year the crew made a long list of plans. But only a handful of them were accomplished including the Friday night rail jam, the back country session and the early season trips to Killington and Loon. At the end of the season we sit back and think about what we have accomplished and what we wished we had done. I wish we had hit urban a few times before the end of the season. I also wanted to produce a campus urban segment. Unfortunately, injury, lack of time and motivation constricted our possibilities.

The same goes for every high school student.

Every freshman or first year member of a community or institution has a bucket list. Although they may or may not think of it as a bucket list, they still have a set of ideas or plans that they would like to fulfill before the end of their time as a student/member. At Proctor this “bucket list” may include a hike to the Bulkhead, a day of skiing at Blackwater, or doing an experiential program.

To me, there is a lot of similarity between the successful completion of a high school senior’s bucket list and a skier at the beginning of a ski season. While a powder hound from Stowe, Vermont may talk about how he is going to ski all these different lines and hike this mountain and that mountain, the vast majority of what he is saying is complete bull. In reality, that Sunday morning 4 A.M. wake up in mid January will be impeded by many reasons.

The same goes for a senior at Proctor… sitting around a dorm discussing what they should do next Sunday. “Dude, we should totally hit up the Bulkhead…” “Next weekend man, we will hike Blackwater…” But typically, we find ourselves lazy and either sleeping off the stress from the week or banging out a term paper on a Sunday.

However, this is not always the case. There are a handful of students at Proctor who not only have completed their bucket list but have set the standards for a legacy. Really all it takes is that 4 A.M. wake up and a little dedication to make the best of your time here at Proctor.

Switchin’ It Up: The Offseason, Journalism Class

Snow Melts: Journalism

It’s about that time at Proctor when the Sugar Maples are in full bloom and the last piles of snow have melted off the Blackwater. I never really considered keeping this blog going after the conclusion of the ski season, but my journalism class is required to keep a blog. So although my motivation to write isn’t powered by the post adrenaline rush of a powder day, (more so to keep a B average and ensure my college acceptance) I’ve decided to keep the blog going throughout the off season.

The Importance of Classwork-Making the Best of It

Every die hard east coast skier wishes their sponsor could put 'em on a helicopter to Alaska every May to train for their South American summer skiing at Por Tillo and El Colorado. Unfortunately, we aren’t that lucky or skilled. Parallel to the harsh reality of the New England summers, come spring every senior wishes they could wipe their hands clean of school work because they are accepted into college. Once again, the misfortune is that your acceptance is “contingent upon your successful completion of high school.”

In the end, studying is probably one of the most important things in a teenagers life, and regardless of the situation (senioritis) we must embrace our final academic endeavors in order to move on. We must work hard in order to make the best of our situation. The same goes for the die hard skiers during the offseason.

The Topic of the Day: Long boarding

There are a lot of skiers here at Proctor Academy and the Kearsarge-Ragged Mountain valley offers a lot for us to cope with the absence of snow. Luckily, Andover has some long, gradual hills that are made for a skateboard. On any Friday evening you could potentially find six or seven kids perched at the crest of one of these hills, waiting to drop in. Skiing is one of the greatest co-op’s of nature and technology, but ripping down a steep plane of asphalt brings a familiar sense of satisfying exhilaration. For the less experience riders, the small hills found throughout campus serve as a fun alternative.

The biggest thing that allows us to wake up at five A.M. on a Sunday morning to drive four hours through dicey road conditions is the adrenaline and the fun. Although your options with long boarding are a little more free-lance and constricted by the constant flow of traffic on the asphalt trails, it’s better than counting down the days till the end of November. So get off New Schoolers (the facebook of skiing for those who may not know) grab a board, and find your skateboard lines this Sunday.

We move into senior blogging

"The Truth" of Carr House. Bud's a burger guy

Bud laxin'

Colorado dreamin'

Bud Stylin'

Not Bud. He wears a helmet.