As school becomes more and more stressful throughout the semester, student organizations and club sports provide a great outlet for students.
Registered student organizations (RSOs) such as the Ferris Snow Shredders are thriving, while club sports like the men’s club hockey team are gaining tons of momentum as they prepare for a playoff push. Both of these groups are great opportunities for students on campus to get involved, meet friends and stay active while taking a break from the books.
“We are an RSO that centers on socializing with people with shared interests. We promote being healthy, active and view this RSO as an opportunity for our members to de-stress from a busy school week. We love to have a fun relaxed day on the hill,” Snow Shredders President Victoria Sill said.
Sill was given the idea to start a club at the end of her freshman year when she found it difficult to find people to go ski with. With the help of a couple friends and a willing professor, Sill has now provided one of best opportunities for students to stay active during the long and dark Michigan winter months.
Though they don’t compete, the 40 members of the Snow Shredders can be seen on a number of hills around the area including Caberfae Peaks Ski & Golf Resort and Cannonsburg, while occasionally making the trip to Boyne Mountain. There, the Shredders invite friendship and fun to make for a great time away from the pressures of school.
“The atmosphere of the RSO is relaxed and our members always have fun,” Sill said. “Everyone is very nice and I have seen people who have never known each other before become very good friends through this club.”
The Snow Shredders meet every other week at FLITE with times depending on the week and the club is open to any Ferris student. Just $10 and a signed liability form and students are on their way to a boatload of fun.
Meanwhile, another club on campus had fun on the ice as the men’s club hockey team has seen a wealth of success this season. The Bulldogs are a Division III hockey team competing in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). The Bulldogs compete with some of the best Division II and III schools around, including rival Grand Valley State University and bigger schools like Central Michigan University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
The team made a couple of additions to begin the second semester, building their total to 31 players as they compete in the home stretch of the season. A lot more than shooting the puck goes into this club, though as a lot of hard work happens behind-the-scenes to make the team possible.
“Budgeting is a pretty huge part in what we do as a club because there is so much money going in and out on our ice bill and hotels are so expensive. Then finding time with guys to work out and practice times really plays a big part in it,” team President Curtis Sharman said.
The Bulldogs fill most of their weekends with action and currently sit in the last playoff spot. The team has gained much more momentum as the season has progressed, as the Bulldogs have been able to compete tight with top level teams including recent battles with No. 2 CMU and No. 5 Oakland University.
“This is actually one of the best records we’ve had in at least five years. We’ve got a lot of new guys that came this year, we had 14 new guys. So that’s a brand new team but luckily we all mesh together,” Sharman said. “We all put in the work, everyone has a job on the team and they know what their job is. If they get the job done we win.”
The team practices twice a week as well on top of their games and work-out sessions and play their home games right on campus at Ewigleben Ice Arena. Getting involved is easy as the team offers summer skates and try-outs at the beginning of each semester so players looking to play competitive hockey after high school certainly have the opportunity.
If students would like more information on either of these groups you can check them out through OrgSync or on various forms of social media.
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