The Dallastown Ski Club is officially back up and running this year. After the club ended within the last few years, a high demand of interested students allowed Dallastown to bring the club back.
The ski club had been a staple at Dallastown running through many decades.
English teacher Mr. Wade Fulton was the most recent advisor from 1999 until 2020.
“I had been the co-advisor with York Suburban’s ski club (when I taught there), so I actually proposed to restart it at Dallastown (when I started here),” Fulton said.
After the COVID-19 shutdown, Fulton decided to step down, and the ski club ended.
Until this year.
Juniors Josephine Rubin and Lyra Lolley-Filip played a large role in being a voice for other interested students. The club had 43 members sign up in its first year back.
“It didn’t take too much convincing after finding the right advisor since many students were very hopeful for a ski club, and we knew that it was going to be fairly popular,” Rubin said.
That right advisor was science teacher Mr. J.D. Granger. After being approached by several students, he decided to take on the position.
Granger, who is in his second year teaching at Dallastown, has always loved skiing.
“I started skiing when I was in junior high. We would go to Ski Liberty and Ski Roundtop. When I was in college, I worked at Camelback Ski Resort, so I was able to ski quite a bit while I was there. After that, I hadn’t skied in quite some time until we started to get my daughter into it,” Granger said.
Granger previously taught at Red Lion, which didn’t have a ski club, and he’s been excited to get involved here.
“The club aims to build strong friendships, encourage teamwork, and foster a lifelong appreciation for winter sports, while also organizing enjoyable and memorable trips to Roundtop Mountain Resort for members to have fun skiing and snowboarding together,” Granger said.
But with 43 members, he didn’t do it alone.
Several other teachers volunteered to be chaperones during the trips to Ski Roundtop, including Mrs. Jillian Kohler, Mr. Tim Smith and Mr. Rob Donatelli.
The club took five bus trips to Ski Roundtop on Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5. In order to partake in skiing or snowboarding, students needed to either purchase an Epic Pass or purchase a School Days package through Roundtop Mountain Resort.
Students are hopeful that the club doesn’t go anywhere and continues to grow, considering it has been on and off for many years.
Some students didn’t even know that the Ski Club was back this year until after the sign-ups closed, and it was too late.
“I talked with many students who said they wanted to join but missed the deadline and were unaware that we now had a ski club,” Rubin said. “We are hoping to grow the ski club by promoting it more before the start of ski season. We also hope to take a trip up to another mountain throughout the season, maybe Whitetail”.
From history to today, Dallastown’s Ski Club has been a very fun experience for all students with all different skill levels.
Even students with little to no experience, can enjoy ski club.
“Ski Roundtop has a Slope Days pass that you can purchase. With the pass, the students can get a lift ticket, equipment rentals, and a 1-hour lesson each time we go to the mountain,” Granger said.
The club’s biggest goal is to create a fun, safe, and inclusive environment.
“Ski club is a great way to meet new people who share the same interests as you. If you don’t know how to ski or snowboard and want to learn, this club is a great opportunity. On one of our last trips some kind lady said that we were one of the most respectful ski clubs at Roundtop, so that always is nice to hear,” Rubin said.
