Wilsonville High School’s Snowboarding Club presents an inviting community that spans beyond bus rides, mountain slopes, and school halls. Community is a substantial part of sports, school, and life in general for all people. All communities carry different cultures, but there’s a unique atmosphere that circulates Mount Hood and Wilsonville’s snowboarders. 

Wilsonville’s snowboarding team holds different expectations and regulations compared to any other team at Wilsonville due to the fact that it’s considered more of a “club” than an OSAA sport. Jared Alvarez, the head snowboarding coach and health teacher at Wilsonville shares, “Not being a school sport allows us more freedom, but with that being said, we are fostering the community that we are a team. Even though we’re not a school sport, we still hold expectations.”

Every skill level of snowboarder is welcomed with the expectation of hard work, commitment, dedication, just like any other school-supported sport. Considering this team faces the same trials as other sports during competitions with other schools in Oregon, it can create feelings of pressure and anxiety. Snowboarder Koen Vallejo expresses,

“Going into snowboarding was really intimidating for me, especially because starting out this season, I wasn’t very experienced and my friends hadn’t joined yet.” Vallejo helps illustrate the struggles that can be faced by beginners and newcomers to the team, but also alludes to the seriousness of this activity for many team members.

Support and perseverance are the foundation of the snowboarding team. As individuals, the snowboarders are impressive and divers, but as a whole, their abilities range and therefore, display an array of athleticism, technique, and personality.

Having the more advanced students encourage others is fundamental to uplift the environment from anxiety and strive towards growth!

The snowboarding team carries strong motivation, moving forward with leaders who set good examples for the rest of the team. Alvarez continues,

“I think we have strong leaders on our team that set the precedence; you know what people say, what they do, because yeah, we are a fostered community that focuses on growth and all ability.”  Carmen Marshell and Thomas Burt are the leaders on the snowboarding team who hold up the expectations for the others by putting in the work and dedication into this sport on the snow.