By Edna Horton/nw news editor
Learning how to ski or snowboard and a trip to Angel Fire, N.M., are all requirements for a spring class offered on NW Campus.
Ron Morgan, assistant professor of health and physical education, said this was the first time the class would be offered for a one-hour PE credit. The class will meet once a week on campus with the New Mexico trip scheduled during spring break.
The total trip costs $577.55 for skiing and $587.55 for snowboarding. Morgan said if students need to make payments, they can make arrangements with business services.
All equipment rental and accommodations at the resort are covered by the cost of the course. With only 24 slots available, acceptance will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition to the cost of the trip, students must pay a $50 registration fee for the course.
The on-campus classes will include mainly conditioning, Morgan said.
“Not only are you going to get in shape,” he said. “But you will learn how to ski at the same time.”
Ryan Stewart, instructor of health and physical education, will teach the class. Stewart said classes will include what type of clothes to wear, how to stay warm in cold weather and how to use skiing and snowboarding equipment. Stewart will also discuss sunscreen.
“Most people don’t know about the sun reflecting off the snow on skiing trips,” Stewart said.
“If you don’t use lip balm with sunscreen in it, your lips could blister. These are the types of things I will teach in class.”
Morgan said the conditioning part of the class would be aerobic, strength training and endurance. An example of this is using a mini-trampoline to teach how to slalom. If they can, students will also go to College Station and use “Aggie Hill,” a skiing and snowboarding simulator at Texas A&M.
The trip to Angel Fire will be March 14-17, and if students do not go on the trip, they will not pass the class. Stewart said students also cannot just register for the class and only go on the trip. They must attend both the classes and the trip to pass the course.
Students will stay in a condo at the resort, which is “ski-in, ski-out” style, meaning the slopes are right outside the condo and no additional driving is required. A bus will pick students up at the gym at 8 a.m. March 14 and bring them back March 17.
Students interested in enrolling in the course must register by Jan. 15. Some student waivers and consent forms must be completed and submitted by that date as well.
For more information regarding the course and the trip, contact Morgan at ron.morgan@tccd.edu or Stewart at ryan.stewart@tccd.edu.
