Cross Country Skiing 2013

Through the month of February, 9SV went cross country skiing a total of three times on Cypress mountain. Once on the mountain, the group was split into two levels of skill: higher and lower level. The higher level group went on more challenging parts of the mountain while the lower level group stuck to the more flat and easygoing parts of the mountain. Both levels of skill focused on skill development and re-enforcement.

I myself mostly re-enforced what I already knew, but one skill that I was in the process of learning was stopping with parallel skis, as opposed to the snowplow way of stopping. I had a lot of fun skiing with my friends and classmates, and it was made better by the great weather that we experienced for two of the three sessions.

“Winter is coming.” 
- George R.R. Martin

The Lion Mountains

The Lion Mountains, also known as the Twins Sisters, are located North of Vancouver. The legend goes that the two peaks on the mountain are a certain tribal chief's daughters that have been immortalized on the top of a mountain. The Sagalie Tyee had two daughters that were about to go into womanhood, and he decided to throw a massive celebration for the occasion because that is what is typically done. However, the tribe that the Tyee was from was at war with another tribe, but he decided to ignore the war for one week while the celebration happened. His daughters, however, requested that the celebration should be a peaceful celebration, and that they should invite the tribe that they are at war with. The Tyee accepted their request, then proceeded to throw the best celebration in the history of celebrations. The Tyee was so overjoyed that he decided to immortalize his daughters in a high place: on the top of a mountain. And they remain there to this day.

Kayaking 2012

Last year, the kayaking OEE trips focused on simply going out and having a good time. This year, we are actually practicing the skills necessary to be a skilled kayaker. We went in doubles kayaks instead of singles on the first trip, and we covered a fairly large distance in the one and a half hours that we had on the water. There was nothing particularly fancy about our first outing, we simply went around on the water, and crossed from island to island on one occasion.

Sailing 2012

This was the second time we went sailing this year, and it was definitely more exciting than the first time. We experienced a squall wind while we were on the water, and more than half of the boats got capsized because of it! I learned how to properly bring a capsized boat back upright, which was also made harder because of the harsh winds.

There was very little wind when we first got on the water, but within half an hour there were 15-knot winds coming from the West. This made sailing a whole lot more challenging. The boats were not made for such winds, so as a result everyone either capsized or lost their mast to the wind. 

Other than learning things on the water, I also learned some new sailing terms like Broad Reach and Jybe. 

Canoeing

Today the 8HV OEE class went canoeing at Deer lake for one and a half hours. Some of the newer canoe-ers learned new strokes and how to get in and out of a canoe. Our instructor provided some good advice and some interesting side conversations to boot.

Overall, while I already knew how to canoe fairly well, it was fun to do it once again after not canoeing for a while.

The IB characteristic that I think I showed the most was being principled because I helped out others, mostly Gavin, when they needed help with learning a new skill.

Community Service

Today the Grade 8 OEE group went to the Maplewood Conservation Area and planted several trees. The group gathered soil, cleared blackberry bushes, and finally managed to plant the trees.

Though the poor weather conditions made this activity far less enjoyable, I still managed to have somewhat of a good time, and learned some new things along the way.

The IB Characteristic that I showed most during this activity was principled, because I managed to do the task at hand without complaining or asking for much assistance. I also took some initiative when I decided to lead the way while clearing a trail.  

Snowshoeing

The fourth activity that the 8HVW OEE group did was snowshoeing on Mount Seymour. This activity was only done once. Everyone was split into two groups, and they both went on a trek through the trails. The walks were done relatively casually, with some challenges being presented along the way to make the walk more of a challenge.

Snowshoeing was a good experience for me, but it was one of the less fun when compared to the others. However, snowshoeing still proved to be a unique and new experience for me.

The IB characteristic that I showed the most during this trip was being caring. I helped people get through some tough times when they were tired, and urged them to keep hiking. I also waited when a team member fell behind or slowed down.