Student blogger Oscar Starschild went on a scary skate at the Varsity Arena to get in the mood for Halloween.
Last Friday evening, I went to Move U's Scary Skate event at the Varsity Arena.
I hadn’t skated in a while, so it was rather scary to get back on the ice. Fortunately, I was able to adjust quickly and then proceeded to swap scary stories (hypotheses) with other students.
Because I’m a philosophy student, I spent the last couple of months learning about epistemology (the study of knowledge), so I posed as an External World Skeptic (someone who denies that we have knowledge about the world outside our own minds) and questioned others’ justifications about what they take--mostly for granted--to know about the external world like, say, that they are skating at Varsity Arena with their friends.
How do they know that they are not just brains in vats stimulated by a mad scientist to perceive as though they are skating at Varsity Arena with their friends?
Unfortunately, no one was able to convincingly demonstrate that they know that they’re not brains in vats. So I, the external world skeptic, scared them by concluding that they therefore don’t know that they are at Varsity Arena skating with their friends.
Aside from spooking students with external world skepticism, there was a good turnout and I enjoyed meeting other students. Gobind Vasir, a recent engineering grad, told me about his travels to Australia, which despite the great climate can be a scary place if you’re afraid of snakes or spiders. Gobind wore hockey gloves, skated effortlessly and admitted that he was a frequent skater at Varsity Arena during his studies. Gobind skated at least once a month and recommended more students take advantage of skating on campus during drop-in hours.
The event was a lot of fun. I enjoyed skating, there was hot chocolate and some students even came out in memorable costumes which were eligible to win a best costume prize.
My favourites were of a scary hazmat suit and another of a banana which really stood out against the white ice and kept me on my toes by reminding me of Mario Kart (in which strategically placed banana peels can cause you to slip off course).
All in all, I had a great time. Skating is a lot of fun and a great way to stay active and meet other students. If you don’t have skates, don’t worry, Varsity Arena has got your feet covered with skate rentals. So, I’ll be back to skate there again and recommend others try skating on campus whether through the drop-in hours or at the next skating event.
Anyway, I wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween.