Coming into Lyndon as freshman, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I knew it was a small school in Vermont, and I would get “experience” learning college things. I knew there was a hockey team, and a radio station. I also knew there was a really good diner in town before coming here.
I never knew quite how powerful the experiences would be. I didn’t know how strong of a community there was. I knew that I would have a good time here, but I couldn’t (and still can’t) predict how much I would eventually miss these things after graduating Lyndon.
First is hockey. Hockey ranks number one on a lot of my lists, so there is no surprise that it would show up here. I love the game of hockey, and was lucky to be surrounded by it at Lyndon. There are many people at Lyndon who love the game of hockey as much as I do, and it was nice to be know them and share that love for the game. Whether it was ice hockey, pond hockey, floor hockey, or fantasy hockey. Watching the 2010 gold medal game with Jonathan Davis, my good friends Andy Saltarella and Robbie Swietek. that will be one of my favorite memories of all time. The energy in that room when Zach Parise tied that game with 24 seconds left was unreal. Being on the 2009 ice hockey team with Ricky Paparo, Chris Peltier, and Andy Saltarella to name a few.. That was a dream of mine that I never thought I would be able to accomplish.
So much snow makes my “will miss” and “won’t miss” list. Being one of those few who doesn’t ski or snowboard, the snow was never really that special to me. But its an amazing thing that we often take for granted. It still is a pain in the neck thing at times, but I will miss the days of sophomore and junior year when it seemed to snow six or seven days a week.
The things I won’t miss are burdens: research, studying, ten page papers. Yes, they can all be aggravating at times. At the same time, they are good things that contributed to knowledge and learning. So they really aren’t that bad. The isolation in Vermont is part of what Lyndon is. Like I said, the snow is on both lists. And freshman.. They take over and pass on the torch. The traditions and foundations that we have built here.