NOTES FROM CARDIGAN Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
April 1979
Issue No. 11 Cardigan faculty and students bid ·farewell to winter on March 1 , when Joe Collins (Assii:;tant Headmaster) announced " Ski Holid:ay" - another annual tradition at Cardigan Mountain School. The announcement came as a surprise to the dining room full of allegedly overworked students. On that particular day , classes , job responsibilities, and clubs were canceled. In about 30 minutes the entire school body was dressed and equipped to spend the day at one of New England ' s finest ski areas. It was a beautiful day, complete with spring temperatures and spring-type skiing conditions. The ski area , Waterville Valley , was virtually empty because we arrived on a weekday. Cardigan students and faculty enjoyed small lift lines and uncrowded slopes. We returned to school that evening for dinner both exhilerated and exhausted. What a great way to say good-bye to winter . • • Exactly one month later , Cardigan students returned to CMS from their three week spring vacation - some with southern tans , and others with burnt noses from western ski slopes ••• only to see snow covered grounds and blizzard-type weather conditions once again . Was it some sort of April Fool's joke? In spite of the snow and wintry days, early spring training began throughout the campus. Sailors prepared boats and sails , and spent hours inside involved in " chalk sessions"; Lacrosse pl ayers concentrated on learn :i,. ng and developing skills in the fundamentals of the game - as well as_ pract i cing maneuvers in the covered sports arena ; and baseball teams spent time inside the gymnasium - throwing , catching and practicing bunting (all with a whiffle ball). On days that it wasn't snowing or raining too hard, lacrosse and baseball players bundled up and practiced on the fields in sneakers. The Tennis team, did quite a bit of running - both long distance and sprints to condition for their games . They had the indoor courts to practice on , and were soon able to set up the nets outside as well. The snow and sleet did not keep the newly formed cycling team from forging through any kind of weather - riding 20 to 30 mile training rides each activity day. They have been focusing their efforts on safety , endurance , and riding in pace lines to make the most efficient use of their speed. All teams mentioned above will be (or already have been) engaged in a series of competitions this spring. Because of this, discussing and developing strategies have been an integral part of all the team 1 s training sessions.