Saratoga Springs
Saratoga Springs is the CTY site located on the Skidmore campus. The newly built dining hall probably has the best food of any site; the traditions, while fewer than other sites, are generally the most intense and carried more extremely. While Saratoga is the smallest mainland site, the student body is perhaps the closest knit. Saratoga is also the only site with full blown town trips.
Contents
Location
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Arguably one of the most vibrant and dynamic small cities in the USA, it is also not only the place where Don McLean wrote American Pie, but the place where he first performed it, in Cafe Lena, just a block from where the students take their weekly town trip.
The Dorms
The dorms are very nice, with both Howe-Rounds (the mixed dorm) and Wilmarth (the boys' dorm) featuring window seats and suite styled dorms, with a shared bathroom (1 for every 3 rooms). All dorms also feature desk-dressers and closets with curtains to ensure privacy whilst changing.
Howe-Rounds
Each year, Howe-Rounds houses one floor (consisting of 2 halls) of boys, all the girls and RA. Each room is built for either one or two people. Many people complain that the mattresses feel like rocks and squeak too much, but they're seriously not that bad. Howe Rounds has 1 bathroom (2 sinks, 1 shower, 1 toilet) for four people. In each section in Howe Rounds, there is a bathroom, a double room, and two single rooms. Can become extremely cold as it, unlike Wilmarth, has perpetual air conditioning, so be sure to bring enough blankets or very warm pajamas. The floors lack the central lounge present in Wilmarth. The laundry room is also shared, but 2 days a week are designated for boys to do laundry and the remaining 5 reserved for the girls. On the first floor of Rounds, where the entrance is, there is an expensive vending machine. According to a squirrel girl's personal experience, it's really easy to get lost when visiting your friends who live on other floors. You get used to it, though. As of 2013.1, Howe-Rounds rooms have doors girls can swipe their cards to open instead of the old-fashioned metal keys used in 2011 that actually gave RAs a reason to tell girls not to swing their lanyards.
Wilmarth
Wilmarth dorms are exclusively for boys. Wilmarth has 1 bathroom for every 6 people, which can lead to long wait times for showers. Features a central lounge area on every floor, where players of Egyptian rat screw, Mao, and chess congregate. Extremely hot all the time; bring a fan or suffer. The ground floor features a larger lounge with vending machines that occasionally either take your money and do nothing or gives you 2 bags of chips/soda bottles at once.
You may or may not find a hole in the wall of one of the rooms on the 3rd floor (The hole has been filled but you can still see the mark in Room 322). It was caused by a onemore boy named Jackson Hsu. He was practicing Martial Arts, didn't realize he was close to the wall, turned and punched, and thus created a hole in the wall. The RA's never seemed to find out and Jackson left safely. He got the nickname by his neighbors Jackie Chan from that day.
(Dood I took Phil advice and drew a black circle on the wall around 2 pm. -Jackson)
Wilmarth's rooms are notoriously small compared to those in Howe-Rounds. The size of a double in Wilmarth is said to be the size of a single in Howe-Rounds.
McClellan
Due to renovations of Wilmarth in 2008, the boys were relocated to McClellan. This was not much improvement, as McClellan is identical to Wilmarth, but farther away. They did, however, have rooms that could be unlocked with the swipe of a card instead of a key, which is now also the case in Wilmarth. This card-key system was not always as helpful as it sounds, as some people took their cards off their lanyards and forgot them in their rooms, locking themselves out. McClellan is most notably home of the famous "McClellan 3 incident", in which 3rd floor citizens engaged in various antics while simultaneously trampling over any authority the RA's ever thought they had.
Penfield
The 2012 site packet for Saratoga Springs lists Penfield Hall, rather than Howe-Rounds, as a residence hall along with Wilmarth. Penfield is located to the left of the Quad (as seen facing the dining hall), to the front-left of Wilmarth. Due to construction of the site, the girls this year were housed at Penfield. Essentially a carbon copy of Wilmarth, Penfield has no air-conditioning, causing many unprepared squirrel girls to suffer from the burning heat. It does have a central lounge present on each floor, though.
Here is Skidmore's page about Penfield: [1]
Academic Buildings
These building aren't much different from those on any campus; they have whiteboards, projectors, desks and are very well air conditioned. Bring and leave a jacket or blanket in class because like Howe-Rounds, the AC is almost always on.
Places for Activities
The Duckpond
The duckpond and surrounding fields are one of the most important locations on campus. Most importantly, passionfruit is held at the duckpond. Water day is held here, as well as the horse race on Casino Night (formally). Daily/weekly activities that happen here include "Reading" by the Duckpond and Frolf.
The Athletic Fields
Skidmore gives CTY access to two of their fields. The better of these is the football field surrounded by a track, where morning running and some daily/weekly activities occur. Unfortunately, a field hockey camp needs to use these fields at the same time (despite Skidmore having fields specifically designated for field hockey), resulting in greater use of the still very nice lower fields, which are built for soccer. CTYers also visit the lower fields to watch the sun rise before passionfruit. Because of the heavy rain during 13.1, the track became flooded so the Olympic Day relays and Ultimate Frisbee match took place on the lower fields.
Town Trip Locations
At Saratoga, town trips take place on both Sunday afternoons, with the exception of Farmer's Market as of 2013.2, which takes place on Saturday mornings. Sunday are usually 6-8 routes, each containing 1-3 locations. Town trips can get cancelled on account of rain, but this doesn't happen often.
Ben & Jerry's
Most sought after location among Nevermores/people who have been to Saratoga before, primarily because of the Vermonsters. Nevermores go for the buckets and most others go to help them/hang out with a generally more tradition-heavy crowd. A Vermonster is the epitome of commerially available ice cream: 20 scoops of ice cream, 8 scoops of toppings, a huge brownie, cookies, sliced bananas, ladles of hot fudge, and topped with a huge amount of whipped cream.
Coldstone Creamery
In Saratoga Springs downtown, there is also a Coldstone Creamery in addition to Ben & Jerry's. Usually, both ice cream stores are not in one route, and one may have a route such as shopping, and then Coldstone Creamery.
Borders
Borders is a bookstore. Many don't buy books, and just hang out in the cafe portion. It is suggested to make sure Borders is the first location on a route containing Ben & Jerry's, because people tend to be covered in chocolate and prone to vomiting after that ordeal.
Note: It is rumored that the Borders in Saratoga has been closed, and therefore not available for town trips in 2011.
It has since been closed.
The Park
The park is across the street from Ben and Jerry's. It is convenient to have this be a last stop on a Vermonster route, because it allows many activities conducive to finishing/recovering from a Vermonster, such as sitting on a bench to finish off the bucket amid staring strangers, or lying in the shade to control post-Vermonster nausea. It also is a good place to hang out and/or throw a disc around. There is also a popular carousel in the middle of the park. Brave CTYers surviving the rough ride earn a sticker claiming "I rode the Congress Park Carousel," which is often displayed on the cardholder portion of the lanyard. (I still have mine somewhere, and can confirm that they are in fact awesome). Nevermore grass orgies are also a feature.
Laser Tag
Laser tag is usually greeted with huge enthusiasm amongst CTYers who are at Skidmore for their first year, or don't follow traditions closely. However, many more veteran CTYers choose to save their money for Vermonsters, love tape, and other CVS staples. Laser tag takes place at Outer Zone and is alien themed. The location at first appears to be slightly sketchy, but they have state-of-the-art laser tag equipment. Town Trip A in 2012 included laser tag, CVS, and Ben and Jerry's. As of 13.1, however, Outer Zone has shut down.
CVS
CVS allows CTYers to stock up/restock items that they may find beneficial, such as sharpies for signing things, drinks, condoms (generally as gifts), hairdye, make up for dances, snacks, etc. Because town trips can get cancelled, it is beneficial to try to stock up on things like sharpies on the first town trip in case the second one is cancelled (09.2, the second town trip was rained out, leaving a dearth of sharpies for signing, as the nevermores were planning on getting them on the second town trip).
Lyrical Ballads
In 13.1, this bookstore was included in the town trip. It's really awesome, and way bigger on the inside than it looks from outside. It's really easy to get lost here, as the interior resembles a maze more than a store.
Northshire Bookstore
In 14.1, this stop was added on the town trips. It is a beautiful bookstore that encourages local shopping with expensive but good items. There is even a cozy children's section on the second floor.
All Day Shopping
All day shopping involves spending the entire town trip shopping. At 09.1, however, an incident involving a very expensive broken guitar along with improper behavior on an all day shopping trip resulted in the removal of this option for the second town trip. It was replaced by a more specified route involving popular stores such as GAP and Last Vestige.
Farmer's Market
Added as a Saturday morning activity in 13.2, during this trip CTYers take the Skidmore shuttle to the Saratoga Farmer's Market, where they can buy everything from fresh produce and flowers to burritos and smoothies. In the third floor of Howe-Rounds, the girls pooled their snacks together in the common room to make a communal lunch.
The Food
Students eat in Murray Dining Hall.
Pizza, pasta and salad are served every day along with many other food items, ranging from chicken parmesan to Chinese food, which are different at each meal. Cereal, pancakes, waffles, and sometimes French toast are served for breakfast. Coffee, flavored or unflavored water, milk, soymilk, powerade and many types of soda are available at every meal. The desserts, including chocolate cake and lemon mousse, change day to day, but soft serve is always available (although the machine sometimes runs out or breaks). The soft serve machine was missing during 13.1, despite promises it would soon return. Specially made Kosher and Vegetarian meals are also available.
In 2006, the dining hall underwent a major renovation. Students ate in Case Center, where students register on the first day. The waffle iron and soft-serve machine were chronically broken.
In 2007, the dining hall renovations were finally complete. Aikens was beautified, and there is now cheese on the ceiling.(Not literally) There are separate little booths, tables, a much coveted round table behind Emily's Garden, etc. The new plate cleaning system makes use of Tim Perry's so-called Alice in Wonderland holes which are about as non-Alice-in-Wonderland-esque as you can get. The quality of food had improved enormously, but the slight decrease in space caused the staff to set up a staggered breakfast system, where halls took turns having breakfast in certain time slots. This system was abolished in 2008, and now students can eat breakfast whenever they want. In 08.2, there was a staggered lunch system, where eating times were organized through classes; one or two classes would be in the cafeteria at the same time. The staggered lunches were organized in 30 minute periods. A staggered lunch system was used 2009 as well, with each class having an hour for lunch, but classes arriving and leaving at 15 minute intervals so that it was only full for a short period of time. The staggered lunch system currently divides the classes into first and second lunch, where first lunch arrives and leaves 15 minutes earlier than second lunch.
The setup is also conducive to breakfast of champions (lucky charms and soft serve), as the cereals and soft serve are available at every meal, although at breakfast, you can expect the soft serve machine to squirt out something more that's more liquid than soft serve. Fortunately, this is fine for breakfast of champions.
In 13.2, much to the delight of CTYers and even dining hall staff, the soft serve machine was repaired some time during the first two weeks. A huge line formed and by the end of that dinner, the soft serve machine had broken again. This led to Skidmore dining staff to assign one staff member the position of soft serve distributor/fixer, who gave out soft serve and fixed the machine immediately if it broke. A 10-second rule was also developed because anyone who held down the handle of the machine for longer than 10 seconds tended to break it. Only the vanilla soft serve was available and by the end of the session, Skidmore dining staff had just given up on it. By the last morning, only liquid vanilla came out of the machine.
Overall, the food at Skidmore's dining hall is delicious and there is a huge variety of food. Although if you are strictly kosher, the food is terrible.
Traditions
- Nevermore Steals - plates, salt/pepper shakers, or trays (new dining hall doesn't use trays, although it still has them. (Nate got a tray 09.1, years after the trays were put out of use) but most nevermores take the white plates instead, which leads to an acute shortage of white plates.)
- Mandatory Fun
- "In the case of (insert random event), how long does it take to get to the top of Jonsson Tower?" "1 MINUTE 12 SECONDS!!!!"
- Laser Tag (Defunct)
- Nevermore Shirts (bring different types of sharpies; 2009's were black)
- The Last Supper (Breakfast when something goes wrong)
- Water Day
- Casino Night/Lipsync "Contest"
- Talent Show
- Carnival
- Olympics
- Random Acts of Senseless Kindness (RASK)
- Lanyard Swinging
- Duct Tape
- CTYI!
- Monty Python
- The Princess Bride
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Sunrise
- Passionfruit
- Illegal Sleepovers (ISOs)
- Love Tape
- Jon Good loves you
- Marriage Booth
- Rinas and Rinos
- "I like you, I love you, I CTY you"
- "Good night, go home, nobody loves you except Jon Good!" (shouted by nevermores/nomores on the stage [or elevated area] during the last meat market or the last dance when it's time to go back to the dorms)
- Free Lee-Kai!
- Stummy Lays (grass orgies, pregnancy circles)
- Quad Time (sometimes/rarely referred to as Meet or Meat Market)
- Glowsticking (raving)
- Fu-- that Lancaster Sh-- in response to "Orgy" and other Lancaster American Pie traditions in American Pie (Skidmore veterans don't shout orgy, and are frustrated with the aggravating campers from Lancaster who disrespect our varying traditions.)
- Nevermore Pages
- Vermonsters from Ben & Jerry's
Session 1 Only
- Dib Dib Dib (Defunct.)
- Varsity Catch (you're the worst!!) (More or less defunct.)
- Napkin Eating Contests (Defunct.)
- Snap your fingers while walking across the quad and say to everyone you pass "There's gonna be a rumble tonight". (Defunct.) (Can we revive this?)
- CTY-shaped grass orgy during the last quadtime
- Clapping when someone breaks or drops a plate in the dining hall
- Losing The Game
- USER:AJhat's Hat (The gray striped one, who has a page on Facebook ) (Defunct.)
- Duct Tape Triforce
Session 2 Only
- DIPSHIT!
- Fruit
- Butt Wrestling during Passionfruit
- The Chillin Tree (Defunct)
- Louis Game
- Clap Lines (session 2 - started in '08) on the walkways on the quad, nearly at the end of camp. Couples skip together, music is heard from within your soul, and all is well. It's usually when you realize that these are the best 3 weeks of your life. XD
- Dark Side of Oz (Defunct)
- Nevermore Tokens
- Surrounding DJ's table at dances during Poker Face - a tribute to SAR Forevermore Lady Gaga :)
- The Plates of Destiny (session 2, 2013) - originated by roommates Emily Liebiger and Dheivanai Moorthy on the third floor of Howe-Rounds. While their hall had already left for the Farmers' Market on the last Sunday of camp, they took paper plates and hung them from the ceiling- writing all sorts of scribing of camp traditions- "Live Love CTY!" & "I CTY YOU- SARATOGA 14.2" were some of the many. They wrote the stuff that they'd love and miss about each other, just in time before the feasting occurred.
The Days
Second Monday – Naughty Catholic School Girl DayBANNED IN '10!! :'(
Changed to Goth day (session 1 only), or a wildcard day (session 2)
- Second Tuesday – Love Tape Day
- Second Wednesday – Crossdressing Day/Gender Bender Day/Drag Day
- Second Thursday – Wildcard day chosen by royalty (i.e. superhero day, favorite sports team day, etc.), formally Slap Your Own Ass Day
- Second Friday – Also a wildcard day, formally Slap Someone Else's Ass Day
- Third Monday (or Second Friday) – Pajama Day
- July 1st (session 1)/August 1st (session 2) – Slap Your Own Ass Day (Appreciate Your Own Donkey Day)
- July 2nd (session 1)/August 2nd (session 2) – Slap Someone Else's Ass Day (Appreciate Someone Else's Donkey Day)
- Last Thursday – End of the World Day/Towel Day (Based on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
Session 1 only:
- Rina Day – Third Tuesday as of 09.1
- Clash Day – Third Wednesday
Squirrels
NOTE: This section, refers to small, furry animals of doom, not squirrels.
The squirrels at Saratoga Springs tend to hang out on the Case patio, where they can often be seen dragging their twisted, wretched little bodies across the ground with their legs splayed out in a disturbing parody of an army crawl. They have been known to bite people going into the Green Mountain Coffee Shop. Yup, the squirrels. They're rabid and violent. They don't walk. They lie on their furry little stomachs and DRAG themselves around. They're known to lunge at visitors and steals and then EAT their cigs. They also jump out of trash cans at people. Don't feed, look at, attempt to chase them, or talk to them.
In 2008, a few of the squirrels had some disease involving missing fur and being even more psychotic than the normal squirrels. In 2009, there were practically no squirrels. They might have all died out.
[CHANGE]: In 2009 there were indeed squirrels. The biology teacher and a CTYer by the name of Max Lee were both attacked. Be careful they often pop out of trash cans. My Biology teacher threw an apple in there, and was startled by a squirrel that jumped out. Max Lee was unfortunate. He leaned over to spit out his gum, and a squirrel leaped onto his head. Max Lee was scared out of his wits.
[CHANGE]: In 2010 there were once again indeed squirrels. However they were no longer the vicious furry demons that attacked random passerby. It might've been mating season cause two squirrels were constantly "on top of each other while thrusting." In fact it was described as rape seeing as the squirrel on the bottom was constantly trying to get away. Quite weird. Jaeho Lee found it interesting to watch the squirrels chasing each other up trees, down trees, around trees, around "squirrels", etc.
[CHANGE]: In 2012, the little furry creatures of doom were known to hiss and urinate on those unfortunate enough to provoke the squirrel by shaking the tree it's on. Also, the squirrels were particularly stupid this year, as when a CTYer scared a squirrel in front of the Dining Hall the squirrel proceeded to run into a tiny bush near the Dining Hall door. Due to the bush's isolation from nearby trees and its tiny size, the squirrel became trapped in the bush.
