“If the ski team comes back, they’re going to have to get a new name,” said senior Peter Richards, a member of the “new” Varsity Nordic. “Otherwise it would be awkward, like wearing the same outfit someone else is wearing.”

So who is this new Varsity Nordic? This was a common question among Whitman students earlier this fall semester when a Facebook advertisement appeared in student e-mailboxes.

Varsity Nordic is, in fact, the popular student improvisational comedy group, Theater Sports, or T-Sports for short.

“T-Sports is actually a brand of improvisational comedy,” said junior member Finn Straley. “It’s a brand of competitive comedy, and it doesn’t really fit what we do anymore.”

The comedy group has gone through a variety of changes within the past year, including a movement towards a new style of comedy, a name change, regular bi-weekly shows and hosting a series of improv workshops among other unofficial differences. The most interesting and semi-controversial change was the change of the performance group’s name.

“Long-form is still structured similar to short-form in that you have a general idea of what’s going to happen and where you are going to go, but it has less of a definite course,” said Cassidy. “You’re more free to do what you want and be whatever you want to be.”

“In [short-form] improv, the game is provided for you,” said Richards. “In long-form, you find the game for yourself.”

After the group took a spring break trip last semester to Chicago to see various improv shows, including the famous Second City improv comedy show, they decided to change their name.

“In the world of improv, it’s not much of a name, and some of the Chicago performers commented on it when we told them our name,” said sophomore member Kate Potter. “We decided that at the end of the season we would change our name to something unique and better fitting.”

“One of our workshop teachers commented that the name invoked an expectation for t-sports improv, which isn’t what we were doing anymore,” said Cassidy.

The decision to switch to “Varsity Nordic” stemmed from the loss of Whitman’s ski team in March 2009 due to severe budget cuts because of the economic recession. Shortly after the Chicago trip, the improv group met with the ski team to discuss the name change.

“With the whole situation with the ski team, we thought it would be a good name to kind of give respect to the ski team as well as humor to the general situation,” said Potter.

Other changes to the student improv group included a series of workshops open to any student interested in learning about the craft.

“We learned a lot from the workshops we went to in Chicago, and we want to be able to help people interested in improv to become better improvers,” said Cassidy. “This is especially geared towards those serious about auditioning for Varsidy Nordic, but it’s open for everyone.”

“Also, teaching improv helps you learn about what you are doing as well,” said Richards.

The final workshop takes place tonight, Thursday, Sept. 24, in Kimball Theater, Hunter Conservatory at 11 p.m.

Straley and other Varsity Nordic members also hope to reinstate Smash, an improv comedy club.

“Smash is not intended for performance, as a performing group,” said Straley. “It’s for people who just want to show up once a week and pal around with improv.”

“It’s not so much a rehearsal group [geared towards performing] but an educational group,” said Cassidy. “It’s also open for people who are into it but don’t have time [to be in Varsity Nordic].”

Varsity Nordic will also be holding auditions for new members next week on Monday, Sept. 28 and Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 10 p.m. in Kimball Theater.

As Whitman students adjust to the dramatic name change, Varsity Nordic hopes even more students and community members will grow to love and enjoy the audience/actor interactive performances.

“Everyone – audience members and the actors – want the show to be good,” said Richards. “It creates a kind of positive energy support network.”

“With everyone in the same space, it creates a different energy,” said Cassidy. “No one knows what will happen next, and when something does happen it has a lot of power.”

Regardless of the group’s name, Varsity Nordic, formerly known as Theater Sports, intends to continue bringing improv theater, and lots of laughter, to Whitman College.