All eyes have been on Italy since the start of this year’s Olympics, but closer to home, Kenyon students have been busy enjoying their own winter games.
From skating to skiing to snowball fights, they have come together to stay active and have fun outside.
The Outdoors Club has been busy leading off-campus getaways all winter. Last semester, there was an ice skating trip to the Columbus area, and this past weekend seven members traveled about 40 minutes to Mansfield for a ski trip at Snow Trails.
“It was really fun and exciting,” said Audrey Cullen ’26, a ski trip leader and past president of the club. “Because the hills are so gentle on the ski slope, it turned out that we could all ski together, which was really awesome. We got to hang out as a group and chill with each other.”
The free trip, subsidized by the Business and Finance Committee of Student Council, was the most recent of the club’s regular outings. Earlier this winter, students enjoyed the snowy landscape during a day hike at Mohican State Park in nearby Loudonville.
“The Outdoors Club for me is really important in making sure that Kenyon students have the opportunity to get outside and meet different people,” said Cullen, who is from San Francisco. “It’s a great way for you to connect with nature and de-stress from school.”
Not all of the events are outside — sometimes the club goes rock climbing at an indoor facility in Columbus — but they all are intended to help build community and healthy habits.
On campus, where a snowstorm led to impromptu snowball fights and sledding expeditions last month, students are busy enjoying the season in a multitude of ways.
At the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC), students can hike miles of trails and take part in numerous self-guided activities that include solving puzzles during a nature walk and playing bingo as they identify trees by their twigs and buds.
Social Board got in on the seasonal fun during a Feb. 5 event that featured iceless ice skating outside Peirce Hall. About 100 students attended the free program that involved outdoor skating in a special rink and a hot chocolate bar set up in the parking lot.
“It was really lovely to see groups of friends and couples skating together,” said Juliette Leclerc ’27, a Los Angeles native who helped organize the event. “The event was very cute, and I thought the location made it pretty special. Even without being particularly great at skating, I enjoyed it all so much."
Some faculty have gotten into the fun, too. Bruce Hardy, the J. Kenneth Smail Professor of Anthropology, took his ANTH 421 (Neanderthals) class to the BFEC on Feb. 6 to build a quinzhee, a type of snow hut made by some Canadian First Nations peoples. It was part of a lesson about Neanderthals and thermoregulation, or how they stayed warm in the winter.
“Students always learn better when they can actually make things,” Hardy said. “They may not remember what they learned in lecture years from now, but you can bet they’ll remember building a quinzhee!”
For those who prefer to stay inside, the Lowry Center is offering numerous Kenyon Fit classes this semester. These include student-led yoga courses, as well as kickboxing, spinning, Zumba, mixed martial arts, and weightlifting with a certified strength and conditioning coach.
All of these activities are great opportunities to help keep students strong, both physically and mentally, said Nicole Gardner, senior women’s administrator and assistant director of athletics, fitness and recreation.
“During the wintertime is when you’ll see anxiety and depression rise,” she said. “Working out helps bring back some of those endorphins and hormones that allow us to experience joy, to have energy to get through the day. So these guided opportunities ensure that you’re getting in from a health standpoint what you need.”