Beating the Winter Blues

Snowiest and Coldest?!  Not a problem...

It may be one of the snowiest and coldest winters on Minnesota record, but there are plenty of ways to beat the winter blues!  Gusties take full advantage of everything the campus has to offer and even the great St. Peter and Mankato area!

Here are some of the top ways to beat the “winter blues” or possibly, embrace them!

1. Take advantage of Don Roberts Ice Rink!

      Did you know that from the middle of October through March Gustavus has its own rink on campus??  Well we do!  Our Men’s and Women’s hockey teams are not only highly successful and a blast to watch on the weekends, but the on campus rink, located in Lund Center also has free skating time!  During J-term a few seniors even made it their personal goal to learn to skate!

2. Veteran’s Memorial Park Ice Rinks

      What’s more Minnesotan than skating or playing hockey outside?  Heck, there’s a whole “Hockey Day in Minnesota” and outdoor pond hockey tournaments to boot!  Grab some friends, grab your skates and head to Vet Park to challenge the Men’s Soccer team to a good old game of puck!

3. Nordic Ski Trails in the Arboretum

      Not only for our Nordic Ski team, but the arboretum lends to great trails for nordic skiing!  It’s a great way to get outside in the snow and outdoors and stay active, with all the snow this winter it’s a great way to take advantage of it!

4. Mount Kato

      Seeking more of a thrill?  How about some downhill skiing in Mankato!  It’s only about a 30 minute drive and boasts 19 Trails: 4 beginner, 8 intermediate and 7 advanced with 8 chair lifts and a tubing hill!  Plenty of snow and 4 Terrain Parks for when the snow is lacking!  Even tested by the coaching staff and the Gustavus Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletic Director, we promise it’s a good time!

5. Hit the sauna!

      The snow and cold just too much!  Head to the sauna next to Vic Guftason pool and really warm up!  Just don’t stay too long! 

Keeping Up With Heath

Junior Heather Goff is studying abroad in Malaysia this semester.  Keep up with her on her blog!!

A Malaysian Adventure

Have a great time Heath, we cannot wait to keep up on all your adventures!

J-Term Abroad: Spanish Sport and Culture

Women's Soccer Athletes Take Advantage of J-Term Trip to Spain

A few ladies from the Women's Soccer team spent their J Term travelling around in Spain and learning about Spanish Sport in Culture.  Juniors Karlye Smith and Val Belanger were among two of the over 40 students on the trip with Head Men's Soccer Coach Mike Middleton and Head Women's Soccer Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie.  We've taken a few excerpts from their daily journal entries to give you a peak inside this amazing opportunity!

1-13-14  MADRID

Today started off with a bang!  Breakfast was amazing! ... It was amazing to learn about all of the fancy buildings and statues around Madrid.  Even though some of the stuff was cover in class, seeing the information in person that connected the building, monuments and statues tied it all together.  Our tour guide did such a wonderful job explaining and pointing out places.  I heard and even said, "the U.S. doesn't have the history like Spain does."  My favorite sit eon the tour was the entrance Carlo II Archway that used to once be the entrance into Spain.  I thought it was interesting to see that angels didn't have any faces, they were covered in helmets, but still had no facial features.  But the main attraction... Bernabeu Stadium!!  Such a sick place!  It was weird to see them "growing" grass.  Strange concept since I'm so used to natural grass.  It was smaller than I expected, but it's still huge for a stadium that hosts soccer.  The trophy room was incredible, there were so many!!"

                   

                                                                                                -Karlye Smith '15

1-24-14  Camp Nou/Girona

Today was our last day in Spain, and we toured Camp Nou and visited the city of Girona.  Camp Nou is the soccer stadium for FC Barcelona and it is incredible.  The stadium is huge and can fit so many people in it, I couldn't imagine what it would be like during a game.  Seeing an actual FC Barcelona game at Camp Nou would probably be the most amazing experience of my life!  It would be mind blowing how different the atmosphere is in Spain compared to the U.S. ...  Seeing all the trophies and old apparel was also cool because you actually saw old jerseys and shoes.  Standing in the stands and just looking out over the field is pretty crazy, it just looks so perfect and beautiful. ... Girona is considered a small city in Spain, but compared to the U.S. it is not.  The city had really nice old churches and buildings, there is so much history in every part of Spain!  That is my favorite part about the smaller cities because they just look more historical and elegant.  Girona has a river running through it and has different styled bridges around the city.  There is one that was designed by Stephen Sauvestre who designed the Eiffel Tower so the style resembled that.  There was also one that is meant for couples to put their names or initials on a lock and put it on the bridge.

                                                                                             -Valerie Belanger '15

        

**Photo credit to Karlye Smith '15**