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<td width="343" valign="bottom"><p class="date"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" --><a href="default.html">12/08/03 • Vol.
127, No. 42</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></p></td>
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<p class="heading2">Fresno State ski and snowboard club offers fun, camaraderie, snow sports</p>
<p class="byline">By Eisa Al Nashmi</p>
<p>Three years ago in a recreation and leisure studies class, Fell Abenoja
and a friend were talking about how other schools have skiing and snowboarding
clubs with many students in them.</p>
<p> An idea suddenly came to them—They wanted to have a similar club
at Fresno State.</p>
<p> “
Other schools have fun together, so why don’t we have fun together,” Abenoja
said. “Snowboarding has an indescribable sensation— there
is nothing better than going downhill with wind on your face.”</p>
<p> Abenoja and his friend proposed the idea in their class and asked for
volunteers to join the club. Only one student was interested.</p>
<p> And then they were three.</p>
<p> The trio researched how to start a club on campus and formed the club
right away.</p>
<p> Abenoja said many students at Fresno State ski and snowboard by themselves,
so he thought it would be more fun if they did it together.</p>
<p> “
We wanted to create a community for people of the same interest to enjoy
themselves together,” he said.</p>
<p> Abenoja and the other founders called their club Snow Utilizing Recreation
Foundation—SURF. The acronym was somewhat confusing as many students
came and asked about the next trip to the beach, so this year they changed
the name of the club to the Ski and Snowboarding Club.</p>
<p> Abenoja said he thought they would have a big turnout, but about 50
students came to the first meeting, and only 25 of them became active
members.</p>
<p>“
It is always a struggle when you start something new,” he said. “Fresno
people are afraid to be part of anything and many people thought the
club was only for professionals.”</p>
<p> Abenoja was the president of the club for the first two years. Now
there are about 50 active members and the situation of the club is improving
with new president Jon Dorr.</p>
<p> Dorr has been snowboarding for 10 years. At first, he didn’t know
about the club, but when he saw a flyer on campus, he got excited and
joined right away.</p>
<p> “
I wanted to join because I love snowboarding and I thought the club had
potential,” Dorr said.</p>
<p> Dorr said the club currently has 45 members and he hopes the number
increases before the season is over.</p>
<p> “
The club’s main goal is to get students together and take them
on trips to places they have never seen before at discounted rates,” Dorr
said.</p>
<p> One of their biggest trips this semester is their annual trip to Kirkwood
Resort near Lake Tahoe. The club rented three cabins across from the
slopes.</p>
<p> They will be leaving Wednesday and coming back Friday. The trip costs
$160 and so far 35 members are going. Dorr said the club is welcoming
anyone interested in going on the trip.</p>
<p>Dorr said many members of the club go to Sierra Summit every weekend.
They have a discounted season pass for $249.</p>
<p> On their way to the Summit, they always stop at snow parks, Dorr said.</p>
<p> Beginners are always welcome to join the club, Dorr said. The club
has been in contact with Sierra Summit, and they are offering packages
for
beginners at discounted rates. Dorr said the beginners can also learn
from the more experienced members of the group.</p>
<p> “
We are always happy to help out and teach them the basics and improve
their skills,” he said.</p>
<p> Dorr said the good thing about this club is that it can appeal to anyone.</p>
<p> This is Bridgette Courtoise’s first year in the club, and she is
the only female officer. She is in charge of advertising and is the main
speaker in meetings. Courtoise has snowboarded for the past seven years.</p>
<p> She heard about the club from another officer who worked with her in
a ski-equipment store.</p>
<p> For Courtoise, snowboarding is something that cannot be described in
words.</p>
<p> “
It’s an indescribable feeling. It’s a freedom. It’s
a rush that rushes through you,” she said. “Being able to
get up in the mountains, in the fresh air, with no people—it’s
just peaceful up there.”</p>
<p> Courtoise said she is very excited to work with the club and said she
will work hard to make it better.</p>
<p> “
I want to get many people of different types to be welcomed at the club
and to make it a really big deal on campus where everyone talks about
it,” she said.</p>
<p> Dorr’s main goal is to improve the club by having more members.</p>
<p> “
The more people we get in the club, the more ability we have to go on
bigger trips like going out of state,” he said.</p>
<p> Dorr said that Cal Poly has 1,000 members in its club, and other schools
have about the same number. He hopes Fresno state can reach that level.</p>
<p> “
We want to be able to rival their clubs,” he said. “We also
want to meet up in competition with them and be able to put up a good
fight.”</p>
<p> For more information about the club, call Dorr at 977-0181.</p>
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