Harry Rider: Co-founder, Ski and Snowboard Club
When a first-year student posted on Snapchat and Facebook that he wanted to start a ski and snowboard club at UMass Lowell, history major Harry Rider jumped in with both ski boots.
“I’ve been skiing since I was 6 years old. It’s always been the thing I’ve loved doing most,” says Rider, who served as a captain of the Lowell High School ski team for three years before coming to UML.
Rider and that first-year student, Daniel Renfro, got some friends together and started a club through Campus Rec in spring 2018 that was open to skiers and snowboarders at all levels, including beginners. This year, the Ski and Snowboard Club ran a full schedule of trips for their 30 members to Bretton Woods, Waterville Valley, Cannon Mountain and more.
The club is still a work in progress, but Rider is confident it will grow – and he knows he’s leaving it in good hands. He hopes that funding will be available to help subsidize participation for students who may otherwise be priced out of the sport.
“For next year, we’re looking at creating some kind of scholarship so that anyone who wants to learn to ski or snowboard has the opportunity,” he says.