Sledding usually conjures up images of little kids on traditional sleds, having fun in the backyard after a snowfall. The kids, bundled up in scarves, mittens, stocking caps and snow gear, enjoy a couple of hours in the snow, taking turns lugging the heavy sled back up the hill to do it all over again.
But at the end of last term, a group of University students traveled to Tahoe City, Calif., to participate in a collegiate version of the winter pastime, building a sled and racing it against 15 other teams.
Called Red Bull Schlittentag (the German word for “sledding day”), it was an event hosted by the popular energy drink company for college students to participate in a day of recreation on the slopes of the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. The goal was to find the team that could build the craziest sled while promoting costumes and creativity.
“It was awesome,” said junior Ryan Lassi, a finance major who has worked for Red Bull on campus for two years. “The best part of the event is the teams that put their hearts into it.”
Lassi, junior Laura McNary, and seniors Liam Grist and Sam Johnson made up the Oregon team, the Swamp Donkeys, that traveled the 528 miles the weekend before finals. Lassi was asked by his manager to put together a team a week and a half before the event, and with some quick thinking, the team was able to construct a sled they thought would work.
“We managed to put a team together and we mobbed down to California,” Lassi said, laughing, adding that they all had finals and taking the trip cut into study time.
The sled was a shopping cart with the wheels cut off, attached to a pair of skis. They spray-painted the whole thing black and used some rope tied to the front as a jimmy-rigged steering system. Needless to say, there were some doubts on the team about whether it would withstand a run down the side of the mountain.
“We were nervous that it wouldn’t be very stable at first, but it ended up being one of the most stable sleds,” McNary said.
The team finished fourth in the timed part of the event, which surprised Lassi, who was worried about the jump at the end of the run. It had caused some epic crashes for less-sturdy sleds.
“There were actually some really bad crashes,” Lassi said, who mentioned that one sled was made out of two doors, and on impact it just fell apart.
In the end, the Swamp Donkeys finished in seventh place, once they were judged for creativity. The time was just part of the score, and Lassi said there were some really great ideas.
“The most creative was the group Freebird,” Lassi said. “They wore all patriotic things, and their sled was a big red, white and blue bird on tubes.”
Most of the teams were from California, with five coming from Chico State. The winning team was also from Chico State, with the appropriate name of Crash Cab. Schlitten Frat from the University of Nevada, Reno was a close second.
“I had no idea what to expect,” added McNary, who said she really didn’t know the rest of the team before embarking on a 10-hour car ride with them.
McNary, who is the club wakeboarding coordinator, said it was worth the trip, however, because they also got lift tickets for $10.
“(It was) a sunny day after two feet of new snow fell the day before,” she said. “This was definitely my favorite part. We don’t get snow like that in Oregon, and it was pretty awesome to pay $10 to snowboard most of the day on such a perfect bluebird day like it was.”
As for the future of the event, Lassi hopes to get more teams from Oregon next year. With more time, he’s sure the creativity of the University would show through.
“It’s definitely an investment of time,” Lassi said. “I’d like to see something that brings it back to the UO … (the event) is about pride. We have a lot of organizations, clubs and teams that do such a great job, and this would give them more recognition in a fun way.”
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Not your average winter recreation
Daily Emerald
March 30, 2010
Courtesy of Ryan Lassi
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