Courtesy of Erica Smith ’27
My memories from my high school gym classes are filled with squeaking sneakers, boys bombing their locker room with Axe body spray, and awkwardly changing in front of a clique of girls. Most of my high school gym experiences were unpleasant, getting deducted for wearing improper clothes or simply being unable to return a tennis serve. Despite being a twelve-season Varsity Athlete, splitting my team between cheerleading and track and field, I dreaded my high school gym classes. I felt that no matter how hard I tried, others were judgemental around me. Despite these negative experiences, I was excited to try out one of the gym class offerings here at Connecticut College.
As a freshman here at Conn, I have been navigating where I belong. I joined the Women and Non-Binary Rugby team in the fall and have been an active member ever since. Since rugby does not practice during the winter, I was looking for a new avenue to stay active. Some other rugby team members also played club hockey and advised me to check it out. This intrigued me. I could get all my aggression out and still see my teammates; what a win! However, this came with one major drawback: I could not skate.
While picking out classes for this spring semester, I noticed a beginner skating class that only takes place during the first half of the semester. This was a perfect opportunity as it would allow me to stay active during the off-season and learn to skate.
I ended up taking the class taught by Jim Ward, the Men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Head Coach here at Conn. He reminded me of one of my favorite gym teachers in high school. Coach Ward loves dad jokes and has no shortage of Conn school spirit. His class is all about participation and learning. It does not matter what skill level you are; if you come to class and try your best, you will succeed.
There were times in high school when my teachers would single me out of the class for being unable to hit a softball and would not stop until I did. It did not take long to learn that ice skating was nothing like a stereotypical high school gym class.
It was a rough start for me in skating class. While free skating to warm up, I wiped out and prompted the important lesson on properly falling. Despite my bruised ego, I did not let this embarrassment stop me. I showed up every day, laced up my skates, and worked on my stops, crossovers, and swivels. I would not call myself a skating pro, but the confidence I have gained is apparent. Before this class, I relied on the wall to move around. Now, I can skate freely all over the rink.
Of course, there were always some tumbles. In one class, I tripped over my skate while we were working on our crossovers as a group. I went airborne. A line of people surrounded me as I scrambled to pick myself off the ice. Once I was up, I continued to skate. Jim quickly came my way to make sure I was okay. He was surprised there was no blood on the ice, saying that my fall was one of the most terrifying ones he had seen in his career. This may deter others, but I consider it an honor to have the record fall in a hockey coach’s career.
My class section had a lot of athletic diversity. There were some varsity athletes, some former athletes, and some people who had never worn ice skates before. It was not the cliche environment of the shirts versus skins. Everyone in my class grew in their skills and had a good time while doing so. Most people plan these classes with their friends, but even though I did not know anyone at first, I quickly became friendly with the class.
Coach Ward focused on improvement and participation as a whole. It did not matter what skill sets you walked in with as long as you were trying your hardest. This attitude was a polar opposite experience from my high school. Not only was I able to specialize in a unit that interested me, I was able to improve without judgment. I spoke with the Women’s Volleyball Coach,Joshua Edmed, on his experience teaching gym classes at Conn. He says he “greatly enjoyed teaching activity classes at Connecticut College as they provide a way for our students to engage in potential lifelong activities that they may not otherwise be exposed to.” He also believes Conn’s gym classes are “an experience that allows each student to dive into the content at their level of interest.”
Conn offers a variety of gym classes. SCUBA diving, swimming, bass fishing, and spinning are a few of many. The dance department also has a few beginning classes, such as Pilates and yoga. These are great options for those exploring new methods to stay active and have fun. Other students have had similar experiences with other gym classes here at Conn. Adrien Landon ‘25 has been very involved with gym courses at Conn. She stated, “I have taken ice skating, rock climbing, pilates, and yoga…it was still really fun to take a break in my day and head down to the AC to climb and hang out with people I wouldn’t usually have classes with.” When comparing Conn’s class with those at her high school, she said, “We definitely didn’t have access to things like ice skating or rock climbing, even if we had been required to take a real PE class during the year.” It is evident that Conn brings many new opportunities for students to explore their interests when it comes to fitness.
Now that we are in the final half of the spring semester, I have been missing my classes down at Dayton Arena. While this was not a required course, skating was a great stress reliever during my week. Moving forward, I hope to continue to push myself and find new classes to try. Conn’s unique gym classes are unlike anything I’ve tried before, and I cannot get enough of them.
