On Saturday, November 5th, Hingham High School held its 29th Annual Sport and Ski Sale. The Sport and Ski Sale is a tradition in which the community is invited to donate gently used sports equipment and purchase new equipment for amazing prices. Instead of these items lying around homes to never be used, they are sold to families that could use them or donated to local charities. The day before the sale, volunteers sorted and organized all the equipment brought in by families, in preparation to welcoming shoppers from the Hingham community looking for new sports equipment. 50% of the profits went to the PTO, and the other 50% went to sports teams.

Parent and student council volunteers set up, organized, and sold items at the sale. “There is a large variety of ski and sports stuff for great prices,” said sophomore Gianna Merian, student council volunteer. The cafeteria was filled with skis, ski boots, golf clubs, coats, and a multitude of other winter sports equipment. For anyone who participates in winter sports and needed new equipment, the Sport and Ski sale was the place to be. The wide variety of used items for sale for low prices attracted many families from Hingham and neighboring towns.

“What a great tradition! Big rush when the doors opened, lots of happy shoppers!” said Lisa Patterson, parent volunteer. With so many things to choose from, not all of it could be sold in just one day. So where do the leftover items go? “We donate most of the sports items that aren’t purchased to the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester. We donate the ski equipment to YES (Youth Enrichment Services), which is an organization that takes groups from the city skiing,” explained Patterson.

The HHS Ski Team also manned a table selling Hingham merchandise, including belts, long sleeve tees, flannels, croakies, coolers, and magnets. They also offered early bird shoppers a breakfast featuring coffee and doughnuts. The profits will help the Ski Team prepare for the upcoming season. Another table run by the Hingham Music Parents Association offered concert attire to swap. School concerts require students to wear black and white clothes for concerts, which can be expensive for parents of kids who are still growing. At the swap, families were invited to bring in their outgrown concert clothing and swap it for someone else’s that actually fit. New to the sale this year was a representative from Orange Theory Fitness, the newest fitness center in town. They hosted a raffle for free sessions at their new locations, and generously donated the proceeds to the PTO

The Sport and Ski Sale is always a hit and this season was no exception. Many happy shoppers left loaded down with their gently used purchases. A large profit was made, which the PTO will divide among the high school sports teams. Everyone agrees that this long standing tradition is a great way to welcome the winter sport season!