I love tennis, as you probably gathered from my quick bio on this website.  When I was at home, I used to play tennis with my brother every single day it did not rain and was above 30 degrees.  We would play matches against each other and USTA tournaments as well.  I was a little hesitant of what I would do without tennis up north at Dartmouth, especially during the winter.  What I did not realize was how many clubs and facilities there are to use for students.

Photo credit to DartmouthSports.com

I knew there would be a gym, but I’m not a big fan of running on treadmills or lifting weights – it was always too boring for me.  I like strategy, competition, and winning.  I learned just yesterday that there is a badminton club on Thursdays at 9 pm in the Alumni Gym, which sounds awesome, considering that my love for tennis spills into all other racket sports.  A friend also showed me the indoor squash courts at Alumni Gym, which are open to the public for a large part of the day.  If I start shaking and sweating because of tennis withdrawal, a friend and I could each pay $5 to play on at the Boss Tennis Center when the varsity teams are not training.

I haven’t tried out that many other facilities, but the gym is nice – it has all the equipment you would need.  There is also a swimming pool, which I personally have not tried out, but it looks at me alluringly every time I pass by it on my way back from the racquetball courts.  I’ve also seen the indoor basketball courts and track.  I’m sure there is more that I’m missing, because there are multiple floors, and the staircases and hallways are like a maze.  I’ve gotten lost my fair share of times (I’m not the best at directions), but I don’t mind because it means we have a large gym.

There are also a ton of club and intramural sports.  I did tennis in the fall, naturally.  Many kids from my dorm did intramural soccer and had fun facing other teams in matches.  There are also PE classes that span areas that aren’t offered otherwise.  For example, there are classes in yoga, many types of dance, fencing, and a whole lot of other activities that I have never done.  I plan on taking one this winter to ease my tennis withdrawal.

Overall, I guess I can live without tennis.  It would have been excruciating had Dartmouth not had so many awesome activities, though, so I’m thankful.