During my interview with Coach Bennett in February, I talked about my experiences during fall and winter term, so for my first post, I’m going to discuss Spring Term.
In short, it was awesome. I can’t believe it’s already done. I took Poverty and Human Capability (POV 101) this spring. A part of the Shepherd Program, this course is unique to W&L. Taking a holistic approach, the course combines readings from economics, philosophy, religion, politics, and journalism to provide students with an interdisciplinary approach to poverty studies. With only nine students, POV 101 exemplifies what makes W&L academic life special: small classes, individual attention, and dedicated professors. As an English and Politics double major, I really enjoyed this course, but Spring Term goes beyond the academics.
Buffalo Creek Music Festival, tubing the Maury River, and fraternity/sorority formals are also important parts of Spring Term. With so much to talk about, I’ll just move down the list. Buffalo Creek was awesome. This music festival brings students from colleges all over Virginia to Zollman's Pavilion, a venue ten minutes from campus. The weekend of Buffalo Creek, W&L migrates en masse to Zollman’s. Fraternities and Sororities camp out, build bonfires, roast hot dogs, play corn hole, and (of course) 
listen to the bands. Before hitting it big, Dave Matthews Band played Buffalo Creek. Basically, it is a great weekend full of awesome music, fun times with friends, and the chance to hear the next Dave Matthews Band up close.Buffalo Creek isn’t the only way to have fun in the spring. The Maury River runs through the middle of campus, providing students with amazing outdoor recreation opportunities; tubing the river foremost among them. A few friends, beautiful sunny weather, a free afternoon, and an inflatable tube are enough to guarantee a fun day. You get on the river near campus and splash down to the Pole Houses, a collection of student off-campus houses known for their great location and awesome social events.
Fraternity and Sorority formals are another Spring Term fixture. While all the formals are fun, I’ll stick with my own experience here. My formal was a boat cruise in Baltimore Harbor. We drove up early Saturday morning, stayed at a hotel on the harbor, visited the Baltimore Aquarium, ate dinner at the Capital Grille, and then enjoyed a three-hour night cruise on our yacht. While I like to think my fraternity has something special with our formal, many other fraternities have similar events: yacht cruises, resort weekends, hotel parties, and many other fun getaways.
I would be remiss to ignore the team’s activity this spring. Sammy Brusca, Ben Ersing, and I have been meeting regularly to work on designing new singlets and workout gear for next year. Also, last week was the W&L Athletic Department’s Awards Ceremony. Coach Franke, Coach Bennett, their wives, and the team attended the ceremony in Lee Chapel where each athletic team’s accomplishments were honored. Following the ceremony, the Athletic Departmen
t hosted a barbeque for attendees. In addition to these special events, voluntary captains workouts and lifts have been a staple of the spring.This summer, I’ll be working at a day camp, several wrestling camps, and continuing my lifting regimen.
Spring Term was a great experience, and as happy as I am to be home, I’m missing Lexington. Next year will be a strong one for us, and I’m already excited to get back in the A.E. Mathis Wrestling Room and Warner Center to continue working toward conference championships, NCAA All-American status, and a successful dual meet season.
