Clarkson Integrator

Issue date: 2/6/06 Section: Entertainment

Brian Frederick, a member of the Clarkson University Outing Club, is shown sliding down a hill in a kayak at this year's Winterfest.

Every year, winter enthusiasts look forward to the Clarkson University Outing Club's (CUOC) annual Winterfest to compete for prizes, stand by the bonfire, and just hang out and get away from school. Unfortunately, due to the abnormally warm weather, this definitely was not the best year to go. However, even with the non-existent snow on Clarkson's ski hill, 7 Springs, CUOC managed to hold their sixth annual Winterfest on Saturday, February 4th with what they had.

The schedule of events incorporated all the favorites from previous years, with the exception of the Big Air competition that had to be removed because of the lack of snow. The Winterfest organizers were even able to introduce a new competition, the Snowshoe Run, which was as amusing to watch as the other events. The winner of the event won a brand new pair of snowshoes, and other prizes were given away to second and third place as well.

One nice thing about Winterfest is the ability to win prizes. This easily motivates people to volunteer and compete in the individual races. Although, Winterfest is not all about winning the competitions; it is about coming out and hanging out with a fun group of people and enjoying the winter weather. ARAMARK supplied hotdogs, hamburgers, and hot cocoa for all the cold and hungry students while they sat back and watched the events. The Clarkson radio station WTSC entertained listeners with music of all kinds as well.

The weather was the ultimate downfall this year, which was blatantly obvious to anyone living at Clarkson. The usual commotion and large groups of people were absent from this year's festivities, leaving it looking barren and boring. It was more fun for the individuals who were participating in the competitions, but the festival lost some of its enthusiasm with the smaller crowds, lack of the Big Air competition, and of course, the missing snow. There seemed to be a lot of downtime between each of the events and this was primarily because, with the absence of snow, there were not the usual sledders, kids practicing their ski jumps, and basically kids just finding their own fun while waiting.

Hopefully the Clarkson Outing Club will benefit with better weather next year and have an even bigger and better Winterfest for the students at Clarkson University. This year did not work out so well, but I know everyone will look forward to many Winterfests to come - just bring us some snow, please?

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools