January 20, 2023
That’s right, KDA has come back and is up & running after its two year hiatus. In 2020, the club went downhill all the way to its demise. Those in KDA that year may remember being on the slopes when it was announced that schools would shut down for two weeks, then eventually the rest of the year, and finally affecting the following years. If this wasn’t already bad the club was already on the brink of extinction because Mr. Brumbaugh, the former advisor of KDA, was going to be retiring after the 2019-2020 school year. Now, the ski bums, and aspiring ski bums, have an angel sent from above to run the club in absence of Brumbaugh. Mrs. Hope Hull (parent of Laurel and Gretta) is the name of our savior and hope for the future of the club.
Mrs. Hull said, “For the past several years students, as well as parents, have talked about restarting the program. It was just time to take the initiative so that everyone can enjoy the activity again.”
KDA is a club run through the school that gives transportation to nearby ski resorts, helps navigate rentals, buys lift tickets, and arranges lessons (for those who need it) to the students in the club. It takes the big intimidating factors of going skiing, like rentals or lift tickets, and makes them more accessible so students have an easy way to get out to do a sport that they want to try. With these “scary” parts out of the way, this “allows the students the opportunity to be outdoors, be active, learn and improve a lifetime sport, and make good memories.”
So far you have gone through: signing up for the club and specific ski trips, rode the bus to the resort, gathered and put on all your gear, and are standing at the bottom of the mountain ready to start. There’s only one issue … you don’t know how to ski. No problem. Not only can you learn from your friends, or anyone you ask on the bus (hopefully they don’t laugh in your face), when selecting the trips you want to go on you have the option to get a lesson from the resort. Don’t worry about being the only person new to skiing because those around you might also be learning, like junior Dara Patten. Patten has been skiing since she was little, but this year she will be trying out snowboarding for the very first time. She herself is worried, saying it will be “brutal”.
“I’m a little worried about getting injured but I’m very excited to try it,” said Patten. “Don’t be nervous or embarrassed, everyone falls.”
Newcomers have to remember that every pro skier had to learn the ways at one point. They didn’t just suddenly know how to ski moguls, or how to do every trick in the parks. Even Knoch’s very own “ski pro” started out skiing “pizza-style”.
“Get a lesson if you are new to skiing,” said senior Mitchell Davies. ”It’ll help in the long run.”
Mrs. Hull was right about it being time to start the club up again, there is already so much positive hype around its return and the first trip hasn’t even happened yet!
“So awesome! So Swag!” said Patten. “I’m very glad that I have a simple way to go on a ski trip and get to do it with my friends!”
“I’m super excited to ski with my super cool friends!” Davies said.
This is one of the only clubs where grades 7-12 can join. This gives you a great opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends, and memories that will last a lifetime. Just like how the smell of a bus can still bring Mrs. Hull back to high school ski trips.
“I want to help them have great memories to look back on when they leave,” said Mrs. Hull.
