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Downhill Racer
Hit the slopes with Lawrence's cadre of creative sled makers By Guillaume Doane, Jayplay writer
T
he atmosphere on the hillside behind the Campanile breathed the vibe of a typical day in Aspen. Flocks of folks united on blankets of snow, a group as spirited and diverse as the annual biker rally in Sturgis, S.D. The University cancelled classes at 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Feb. 5. By 3 p.m., about 200 people had charged the hill as if they were marching into battle.
When coats of snow layer the ground during the winter, the University campus becomes the sledding haven for the student population. So as Kansas called off its classes, the masses joined to boast their vessels.
Students say the most common and reliable sled is the traditional plastic sled, which can be bought at any local store such as Wal-Mart or Target for about $10 to $15. This sled offers admirable speed and a healthy dose of control, which are important to David Johanning Jr. The Lawrence resident ventured out to the hill behind the Campanile the night of the Super Bowl and rode his conventional plastic sled. One of his friends had brought an inner tube, and Johanning joined the ride until the tube lost control. "We tried to bail," Johanning says. "One of us got out and I didn't." He collided into a tree and suffered a concussion, an accident Johanning says he attributes to the lack of discipline a tube can offer. But the battle wounds could not tame his passion for the slopes. Johanning says he'll be back on the hills soon, just not on an inner tube.
Other people sledding have a different outlook
While sledding is a sport to some, for others it's a method of art using the snow as the canvas. Cullen Stephenson, Ponca City, Okla., senior, navigates a sled that paints the town red, literally. He attached a paint cartridge filled with hues of red and orange paint that sprays 25-foot rainbow strips down hillsides. "It's a joke on permanency," Stephenson says. "Snow in Kansas has a short life span. But tattoos are supposedly permanent. It's a joke within a fine arts context."
boogieboard and even skis (one for each foot).
Contributed photo
Stephenson, or Lord Caviar as he is known to some in his "faux-rap" band, says he bought the sled on Ebay for $40. It took him four to five hours to build it with the help of the common shop at the Art and Design building. Stephenson says he plans to return to the hillsides, saying that he hasn't quite perfected his method. "I don't think I quite have it yet," he says. "It will resurface again."
Holgerson's friend Marcin Korytkowski attributes deviance as the main objective of his course. "I have a passion for debauchery and a general disregard for law and common sense," Korytkowski, a senior from England, says as he describes his fervor for drunk sledding. Last week, Korytkowski and a couple friends headed out to sled planning to use a piece of cardboard as their craft. During the trip to the hill, he found a $10 bill on the ground of a parking lot and used it to buy a plastic sled from someone at the slope near Potter's Lake. Korytkowski and two of his friends wedged into the red vessel he named "the intimidator" with the intention to maximize speed and distance. They burned down the hillside and skidded across an icy Potter's Lake. When Korytkowski heard a crack, he says he told his crew not to move. They snuck to safety, but not without injury; Korytkowski's friend had broken a rib.
Ronnie Davis and his friends take pride in drunken sledding. Their eyes gleam at the mere mention of it. "Sledding without beer is like macaroni without cheese," says Davis, a Hillsboro sophomore. He and his pals employ stolen lunch trays from Mrs. E's Cafeteria as sleds. The quintessential trays serve the function of sled, snow
- Guillaume Doane can be reached at gdoane@kansan.com
on the activity, employing a common college student philosophy: Do anything as long as it doesn't cost money. This mindset results in all sorts of sleds composed of objects typically found in trash cans, including the trash bag, trashcan lid and even the trashcan itself." We like to steal the big blue trash cans from campus." Matt Holgerson, Washington D.C., senior says. "They're raunchy but they're free."
How to sled the hills like the college crowd:
The philosophy of the University sled rider is to maximize enjoyment while minimizing cost. Here are some tips on what kind of items to use for cruising the slopes.
— The trashcan bag, the lid and the trashcan itself: you can jump into a 20-gallon plastic trash can and roll down the hill. Use a 20-gallon plastic trash bag. Cut four holes in the sides for each of your limbs and wear the bag as a sled. Make sure the bag is wrapped tightly around your body. The plastic trashcan lid: spray the bottom with cooking oil or rub it down with wax.
— The lunch tray from Mrs. E's Cafeteria: use the trays sitting down or employ two at a time as skis.
The laundry basket, plastic floor-matting and cardboard: all unique interesting ideas but not effective. Use a plastic laundry basket large enough for you to fit your entire body. Plastic floor-matting is a slick material placed under carpets. You can buy it for 13 cents per foot at local hardware stores.
— The plastic sled: you can buy it from any local hardware store for $10-15.