Conni Sales
Conni Sales is our number one supporter in Montana. She jumped on board in Fall 2008 by creating a club at her university. She has experience leading trips fly fishing, snowshoeing, and hiking.

"I DON'T SKI," I reply knowing all too well the response.
 
"What?!?!?! You don't ski?? or board?? You have three ski hills at your fingertips and you don't even go to any of them!?!?! And you call yourself a local, pfst!" My fellow college students are caught off-guard and don't know how to respond, but when the shock wears off I can defend myself and can explain that "when I was in high school I used to snowboard a lot. Then I went to college, had no money, plus last Christmas break my board was stolen out of my car and I took that as a sign..." They try to interrupt but I continue, "besides hiking is my passion and in the winter I like to snowshoe and cross-country ski." That said, they are dumbfounded, with nothing else left to say they usually shake their head, laugh, and change the subject. When you are born in a place where extreme winter sports seem to trump everything—and at least two thirds of the students pick Montana State solely because of the access to skiing—being a local who doesn't share that passion is a surprise to most.
 
Don't get me wrong, some of my closest friends are those who ski\board religiously—planning their classes early in the morning so they can at least get up the mountain for a half-a-day. I love them dearly and I support them, it's just not what I would rather do. I'm not a big winter fan. I love snow, I just hate being cold and driving on ice. Thus, I decided that for my sophomore year I was going to go to Hawaii for school. Somewhere where I didn't have to experience the cold and could play in the waves all day. I did manage to skip winter but was unable to play in the waves ALL day. Come to find out Hawaii has a winter too, instead of snow it comes in the form of rain, and lots of it. I met so many wonderful and lifelong friends while I was there and learned many valuable lessons as well. I was having a conversation with one of my friends who grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, and I asked him if he had ever gone surfing or body boarding, when his reply was "no" I was shocked! How could he have never tried it!? Come to find out there were multiple adventures that he had never done or seen on the island. When I asked why his response was, "I live here and always have, I guess that someday I might go but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal." Huh...that struck a cord with me. I've done the same thing in Montana. I was away at the Hawaiian paradise for two semesters, and to my surprise I was ready to come home. I was catching island fever. I needed to be able to drive 6 hours and never leave the state. Being away made me appreciate Montana even more. I realized that I never really utilize what "The Last Best Place" has to offer. I've lived here my whole life and have yet to do so many things. I don't want to wait till later. I want to experience and try everything now!
 
That is why I wanted to create a club on MSU. We have all these wonderful natural resources at our fingertips but never use them. I am a senior now and I want to stop using excuses and start seeing Montana in a new light. When my adviser recommended talking to Lynsey and checking out the SheJumps website, I was surprised to see that it was so much of what I wanted to start. After talking with Lynsey (and other amazing women) we decided to extend SheJumps to MSU in a more "formal" way, which is how the SheJumps-MSU Chapter was born! Yay!!! I am super excited to partner up with some great ladies and create all sorts of opportunities for women to try new activities and/or get better at the ones they love. So here is to trying new things, meeting new friends, and jumping into the new year with an adventurous spirit!