Skiing for the first time is unimaginably scary but exciting. Students and teachers were thrilled to have the experience of taking a day off school to ski down some mountains.
“It was a new experience, painful at first, but it was eventually fun and definitely worth it,” said Cecilia Garcia, a sophomore who attended.
It took 1 hour and 25 minutes via coach bus to get to Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania from D.C. It was much cozier than expected. The driver was firm about his expectations on the bus but was conscientious about our well-being and excited for the trip.
Once they arrived, students and staff were given instructions by a guide and sent to change to ski clothes and obtain helmets and ski gear.
It took everyone a while to put their boots on since they were hard and tight to squeeze in but once that was over, ski instructors taught Roosevelt students and teachers.
“The boots were so uncomfortable and heavy, I felt like an astronaut,” sophomore Vivian Ortiz-Portillo said.
The lesson was about 20 mins long, covering all the basics and pointers and then they were ready to ski!
One of the techniques that Garcia said helped her to ski, was the pizza and French fry technique. “Pizza” is a snowplow position made to slow you down, whereas “French Fry” is the act of keeping your skis parallel, enforcing speed. These are the basic “stop” and “go” techniques and are important while skiing.
The March 1 trip was organized by a team of Roosevelt staff, including Phallon Lattimore, the director of strategy and planning, who helps with the field trip processes (planning, paperwork, communications).
“Students seem to really enjoy school-wide trips, especially this one,” Lattimore said.
This specific trip was organized as a rewarding treat for students who met the criteria of excellent attendance.
“This trip was definitely rewarding, considering all the days I attended school,” Garcia said.
