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Reflections on Ski Week 2019

I thought that I would reflect on Ski Week 2019 – Shawnigan’s 45th adventure in Manning Park.
 
It was my first experience of Ski Week – alongside many of you new to Shawnigan this academic year.
 
I have many memories and reflections:

A challenging first day in terms of temperature up on the mountain; the courage of beginners bracing themselves for the unknown on the bunny hill and T-bar; music and laughter filling the ski slopes throughout the week; delicious food at base camp and up on the mountain; search and rescue training and snow caving up on the summit; race day and a challenging slalom course; the spirit of the cross country race with a generous welcome at the finishing line; polar-coasting and inter-house karaoke; competitive rounds of Reach for the Top (with – I am delighted to report - the staff team of ‘wild cards’ eclipsing the all star Grade 12 young pretenders); carnival time; costumes on the slopes ranging from superheroes to a giant cow; Grade 12s braving the cold in their underwear for a traditional ski down the mountain; skiing with my advisees; ice sculptures ranging from the deeply imaginative to the Duxbury minimalist; muscle relief for staff in the Loon Lagoon; Dr. Taylor receiving the aerial birthday bumps at the trophy ceremony; and much more.
 
Students will all have their own special memories of the week.
 
For the first time, an invitation was extended to our students in the Prep School – and it was a real treat to see them connecting with students in their respective grades.
 
Ski Week is, of course, about much more than skiing or snowboarding.
 
The Norwegians have a word which, for me, captures the spirit of ski week – friluftsliv. It loosely translates as ‘open air life’ and reflects a Scandinavian philosophy centred on embracing nature and enjoying the outdoors as a way of life, on one’s own or with family and friends – and offers the possibility of recreation, rejuvenation and restoring balance.
 
Our Ski Week provides students and staff alike with the opportunity to engage with the beautiful British Columbian landscape – and, most importantly, serves as an antidote to the push and pull of campus life.
 
Indeed, the basic spirit of friluftsliv hides inside all of us. It is important, as we re-engage with campus life for the second half of term, that we are conscious of our ever-increasing addiction to our screens and head out to explore campus and to connect with nature. In essence, friluftsliv is a time for reflection and what Henrik Ibsen called in a poem of 1859 ‘friluftsliv for my thoughts’.
 
I would love to see Shawnigan, as we move forward, embrace a closer connection to our British Columbian landscape and give more opportunities for students and staff to experience this call of the wild.
 
I continue to chuckle at flashbacks to the sketches delivered in the staff revue on the final evening – exploding raw egg antics, high octane lip-synching magic culminating in the surprise and acrobatic performance of MCB under his stage name ‘Killer of Dreams,’ yoga elasticity, the wit and wisdom of the sketch about two Grade 8s adjusting to Shawnigan under the guidance of Head and Deputy Head of School impersonators, the spoof lyrics of a song by Queen – it was Theatre of the Shawnigan Absurd at its very best.
 
The whole week was a feat of logistics and delivered with such enthusiasm by the whole staff team - from our drivers to kitchen team, from our caring mobile health centre to staff out on the slopes. The Grade 11s also worked hard to deliver a series of fun events for the other grades.
 
I would like to take a moment to thank Ms. Cholack, Mr. Mayes and Mr. Clinton-Baker for all their work to plan and deliver this memorable week – and also to thank all the other staff for all their contributions.
 
I had two favourite moments – finding myself lured onto the ice in a pair of big rubber wellington boots, with absolutely no grip, by a Prep student to play broomball one evening. I left the ice quite battered and bruised, having been a target in defence.
 
My other favourite part of the week was finding myself on the chairlift with different students and staff members – an opportunity to connect and to listen to other peoples’ stories.
 
I said in my opening address of the academic year that ‘Conversation, Compassion and Community’ should define Shawnigan. Ski Week encapsulated the 3 Cs in a different, wilderness location – the Conversations on chair lifts, by the blazing fire in the Lodge and in your rooms; the Compassion and support shown to beginners and those with injuries; and the sense of Community-building underpinning the whole week.
 
This was a time to forge new friendships and, for some, to have new nicknames forged for them.
 
The week was a reminder to the Lamonts of the delight we take in being part of this extraordinary community.
 
I trust that those Grade 12s not with us last week used your time wisely as you prepare for LBS – Life Beyond Shawnigan.
  
 
Richard D A Lamont
Headmaster
14th February 2019
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We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.