Friday, December 8, 2000

Free Time

One of the most common questions I am asked about life at the South Pole is "What is there to do?" Many people think living here would be horrifying, mainly because they assume the answer to this question is "not much." True, South Pole City has no shopping malls, movie theaters, bowling alleys, stadiums, amusement parks, or even public parks. Primitive man survived without all of these luxuries, and so do Poleys. In fact, we thrive without them and there are always things going on here for fun. I started to think of all the things to do with my free time and realized that I do more things for fun here than I would probably do at home. There are so many things to do, and none of them require signing up, paying anything, or traveling hardly any distance at all.

Many recreational activities here are steeped in South Pole tradition and unique to the station’s imaginative and resourceful subculture. One favorite pastime is "Volleybag," a South Pole innovation and institution for longer than anyone can remember.

Every Tuesday and Saturday night, the regulars and new recruits gather in the gym to play. The rules are quite similar to Volleyball, but there are a few differences. The first is the "ball." Actually, as the game’s name implies, it’s a bag. There is only one on station, and it is quite possibly the only one in the world. Made of cloth, this beanbag-like device is slightly larger than a basketball but has no bounce whatsoever. One might mistake it for a round pillow or cushion. The bag is volleyed back and forth over the net like Volleyball but can be hit with any part of the body.

The second major departure from the rules of volleyball is due to our diminutive gym. It is a little smaller than the area of a traditional volleyball court and its ceiling is only about twelve feet high. With the net fully taut, there is less than four feet between the top of it and the ceiling. Because the bag can’t touch either of these on the serve, getting it into play can be the most difficult part of the game, especially for newcomers. After the serve, the only out of bounds are the back walls. Thus the ball must be played off the side walls, the ceiling, and even the lights, which are completely unpredictable. This makes for an interesting game.

With the radio blaring, we play for hours on end, switching teams and sides as people come and go. It doesn’t matter how many Poleys show up. Sometimes we will play one on one, which is especially a workout.

There is no live television here ("Thank God!" most would say), but watching movies is always popular at the South Pole. Being absorbed in a good film is certainly a great way to get away for a while. It reminds a Poley that there are such things in the world as trees and oceans and animals and children.

There is a video library in the small station store ("PoleMart") that contains many new movies that may be checked out. There are also thousands of older and home-recorded movies scattered around the station’s four T.V. lounges. Most of them are VHS, but there is a significant amount of Beta tapes. I’m sure the South Pole is probably one of the last places on Earth that still plays Beta!

Every Wednesday night is movie night in the Upper Galley. On the second floor of our dining facility, we watch movies projected on the "Big Screen" (well, the biggest screen around), usually in DVD format outputted to a projector onto the screen from a laptop computer. These movies mostly come from a Poley’s personal library and are chosen because they are not in any of the station’s collections and also because DVDs can be shown in movie theater, wide-screen format. With the seats arranged in rows and a bag of freshly popped buttered popcorn it’s almost like being in a real movie theater.

Another leisure activity at the South Pole is taking classes. There is a wide array of experience and education within the community and many people are qualified and even veteran teachers. In the winter many crews set up classes in foreign languages and other subjects best suited for a classroom. Tae kwon do classes are already planned for this winter. Computer classes have been taking place all summer. Of course there are no fees for any of these; they are completely volunteer. Most of the classes over the summer have been of the more physical nature. Yoga is on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights. Thursday is dance night. Andy, a construction coordinator who has recently decided to spend the winter, volunteered to teach the dance class. So far he has taught East Coast and West Coast Swing, Cha-Cha, and Salsa. This is usually quite a popular class and there are just enough people that we only step on each other's toes once in a while!

A smaller group of Poleys converges in the Skylab lounge on Friday evening to read poetry. We recite books of verse aloud and introduce original compositions weekly, often taken from some theme chosen the previous week.

Later on Friday night, many people head out to the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) for a world-famous 'slushie' made from some of the cleanest snow on earth taken from the clean-air sector, upwind of the station. Poleys scoop fresh snow into a glass and top it with beverages of every type imaginable. It is mostly an excuse to get together on Friday night and talk about the week, but the slushies are sure good. New concoctions are invented every week. My favorite is what I call an "Ant Farm." It consists of snow (of course), a dash of Amaretto, and chocolate sprinkles. It tastes a bit like spritz cookies and looks, of course, like an ant farm. I prefer them thick so I can taste the snow. Believe it or not, they're even good plain!

Most people would shy away from extensive physical exertion outdoors at thirty degrees below zero nearing 10,000 feet elevation, but not your average Poley. In fact, grueling outdoor games of many types are held all the time at the South Pole.

Sunday afternoon soccer matches between the grantees (scientists), better known as 'beakers' and the Raytheon (contractor) employees are always intense. Occasionally, someone will organize a football, baseball, basketball, or volleyball game, all played out-of-door.

Of the more leisurely sports, croquet is quite popular, using a course set up between the geographic and ceremonial poles. Golf has even made its mark in the venerable history of South Pole sport, even though there is no trace of green, water, or sand. There is no official course, but it is fun to plot one out as you go, aim for an area and the punch a hole in the snow where it seems the end should be. Across a landscape of endless white where littering is frowned upon, fluorescent golf balls are the only way to go.

Cross-county (and occasionally downhill) skiing is another widely employed form of exercise, transportation, and fun. Station-owned skis and boots are available for checkout from the store. Unfortunately, there are not really a lot of places to ski to. A few scientists ski to work out in the dark sector where the telescopes are (a little over a half-mile from the Dome). The most popular destination is probably the ski hut. About a mile away from the station, it is heated by the never setting Sun through giant windows on all sides. Poleys go out for a picnic or sometimes even spend the night. For the more adventurous types, there is an old crashed C-130 plane past the runway about three miles from the station. It is almost completely buried except for the top part of the tail, but can be accessed by going down a ladder through a small shaft into the cockpit.

Other infrequent endeavors include Frisbee games and Frisbee golf, kite flying, and sledding. In addition to the half-court hardwood floor gym, there is a exercise and weight room (which also has a TV and VCR.) Some of the lounges have video game players. There is a Pool table in the paperback library and a Ping-Pong table in the summer camp lounge. Most lounges have hundreds of jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, poker chips, and board games. Chess, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and Cribbage have been the most popular games this year.

June, our illustrious recreation specialist, has organized events such as a wine tasting, open mike nights, trivia night, and an array of tournaments. There have been or are planned tournaments for Pool, Ping-Pong, Cribbage and Chess -- with prizes.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, making music is a deeply embedded part of South Pole culture. Since the onset of summer, our musicking has become somewhat more organized. Although extemporaneous Skylab jams are still common, bands and singing groups have emerged from the plethora of musical talent and have begun to practice on a regular basis. I have recently joined up with three Poleys to form an a capella quartet. Bluegrass and "old-time" music continue to be dominating styles. Rock is always a mainstay. We are even trying to put together another quartet of men to sing barbershop.

In addition to interactive activities, people at the South Pole indeed have personal hobbies that occupy their free time. Reading is always a big one. Many Poleys bring books from home, and there are thousands available here. There is one library full of paperback novels. Another room contains all the hardcover, non-fiction, and reference books. These are all free for the borrowing, and many people do. Other popular hobbies are knitting, writing, drawing, and creating web pages.

All in all there is plenty to do at the South Pole. These are just a few of the things I thought of. It is really just like anywhere else in the world. It is what you make of it. I'm glad the people at the South Pole make the most of what the station has, especially each other.