G.S.P.V. Parafrid - English

Even though winter isn’t completely over yet, we already got to enjoy the first rays of sunshine (and a bit of black ice) this month. Sitting on the terrace together, cycling to the stables as a group, and even carefully getting on our horses without thick sweaters: it all happened in February!

In the rest of the world, things have unfortunately been a bit less cheerful. A Third World War sometimes feels like it could break out at any moment, and the war in Ukraine has already been going on for four years. Luckily, there were also some highlights: the Winter Olympics were held in Italy, where the Netherlands performed historically well, and our new cabinet officially stood on the palace steps with the King.

But let’s get back to Parafrid, because we certainly didn’t sit still this month either! We enjoyed delicious food at La Mezza (organized by the Barcie), revealed the lustrum theme, received our first promo item and the first round of club clothing for this year, had an amazing new-members activity in the form of a pub quiz, and competed during the Ecie game night. Last but not least (well… technically first, since it was on February 1st), the Promocie and the board represented us at ACLO x ESN, where we found a new mascot: Joep!

Barcie Dinner & Lustrum Committee Theme Reveal (Lustrum Weekend & SOP)

On February 5th, the monthly dinner organized by the Barcie took place, this time at La Mezza: a delicious Middle Eastern tapas dinner, mainly inspired by Lebanese cuisine. After enjoying the food together, we headed to De Doos for a special edition of our usual drinks. The Lustrum Committee revealed the theme for the lustrum weekend (April 10–12, mark your calendars!): “Saddles & Sparkles” We also got a sneak peek at the program, which will include a challenge game through Groningen, a trail ride, a polework /jumping lesson, a creative activity, drinks, and a dinner. In short: a packed program we are incredibly excited about! Haven’t signed up yet? Make sure to do so quickly via the Google Form shared in the WhatsApp chat.

Speaking of theme reveals: the SOP theme has also been announced! This year we’ll be celebrating like never before with the theme “Don’t Sop the Party”. We can’t wait, see you soon in your bald caps!

Promocie Promo Item & Club Clothing

Over the past few months, the Promocie has been working hard behind the scenes and recently designed a bicycle saddle cover in two versions. After drawing inspiration from Tjas and other associations, we came up with the slogan: “The girls who ride the best” ;) If that slogan feels a bit too bold for you, we also designed a saddle cover with just our logo on it. Orders have closed and the covers have arrived, so make sure to pick yours up during your lesson night from one of the board members!

The same goes for the club clothing! By now, everyone should have picked up their sweaters, T-shirts, and sweatpants. If you haven’t yet, please approach a board member during the stable evenings or send an email to ablid@parafrid.nl.

New Members Activity: Pub Quiz!

Traditionally, the Promocie organizes two new-members activities each year, giving members who have been part of the association for less than a year the chance to get to know each other in a relaxed setting without intimidating older members. Our first new-member activity (the running dinner) was a flop this year unfortunately due to low sign-ups, so we went all out for the pub quiz, and it paid off! It was completely full. If I may say so myself, it was very well organized (hehe), and everyone enthusiastically competed in categories such as G.S.P.V. Parafrid, current events, Manege de Bongerd, Groningen, music, and general (horsey) knowledge. In the end, Willemijn and Lykas, “Team Barcie”, took home first prize!

Ecie Game Night

As every year, the Ecie organized a game night at one of our members’ homes, where we competed in all kinds of fun board games, quiz games, and card games. With tasty snacks and drinks, we eventually all battled each other in 30 Seconds. The age gap between some members did become painfully clear: “Pinkeltje? Never heard of it.” Well, at least we can educate each other culturally, right? We had a great time!

Kentauros Came Back to Life

For the board, February may have been the most fun month of the past year so far. At the beginning of the month, it was freezing and icy, forcing us to cancel several lessons. By the end of February, however, we were cycling to the stables together in the sunshine, in short sleeves even! We enjoyed sitting outside on the terrace at De Bongerd before our lessons with an apple juice or cola, and during stable evenings we could casually chat in sweaters with Daniëlle and Lysanne. We also bonded with other associations within the ACLO during drinks and a pub quiz. Did we win the pub quiz? No. Was it fun? Absolutely! We even received a concept for a new yell (thank you, Ramenlappers), sung to the tune of “Cartier” by Dopebwoy, Chivv & 3robi: “Ik ben lid! Lid van Parafrid (hey!), lid van Parafrid (hey!), Lid van Parafrid! Da's nog niks, paardje van Cartier” Whether we’ll actually use it… maybe not lol. We also discovered that the best cheese soufflés in Groningen can be found at Ballerz, highly recommended. Besides fun ACLO parties, we were also invited to the constitution drink of the new KEI board, which was super fun!

Of course, alongside all these fun activities, we’ve also been working hard for the association. We’ve come up with some exciting new ideas that you’ll hopefully hear more about soon at the HALV! Another positive note: De Bongerd has welcomed two incredibly handsome new horses to the stable! We hope to meet Mendy and Elias in our lessons very soon.

February was full of surprises and adventures, and we can’t wait to see what March will bring. See you in a month!