 |
 Sledding is fun at
any age
BRIAN PASSEY
Photo editor
Winter brings the opportunity to participate in many extreme
sports: ski jumping, snowboarding, and my personal favorite -
sledding.
Many may not consider sledding an extreme sport. Clearly they
didn't grow up at my house.
I grew up in Rexburg. How, you may ask, does one learn how to
become a world-class sled master in Rexburg?
It is difficult. The first problem is the apparent lack of hills
in the Snake River Valley. Fortunately I grew up on one of the
two hills in the region. Of course, the hill that made up my
front yard also doubled as a fault line. I think my geology teacher
once said something about how fault lines are somehow connected
to volcanic activity. This explains the plethora of volcanic
rocks on my sledding course. I have seven broken sleds and a
couple of scars to prove it.
Back when I was 9 years old, I looked upon the early setting
of the winter sun with great dismay. Shorter days meant less
training time, less time to become a world-class sled master.
I had an extensive training course. The first course was a maze
of sharp curves, random sagebrush and the occasional boulder.
The end was a five foot vertical drop, though the height varied
with snowfall. After the drop the sled usually stopped moving
- often because it was broken. But on occasion I could set a
distance record by maintaining sled movement and streaking past
my house into the back yard.
The second course was a speed run down the driveway, which often
became very slick in the winter. We could only buy 4-wheel drive
vehicles because anything less would never make it out of the
driveway during the snow-laden months. My all-time speed records
were set on this course. I was also almost run over by a tractor
on this course once. So it goes.
Then a defining moment of my life happened. In 1993 John Candy
starred in a film called "Cool Runnings." I was an
impressionable 15-year-old. The Jamaican bobsled team became
my new heroes in life. I started growing dreds. My workouts became
more demanding. I would even sled into the evening. I was on
my way to becoming a world-class sled master.
Then I realized I wasn't Jamaican. I also discovered girls. Thus
ended my sledding career for a season.
The next year those same girls who almost ruined my chances at
becoming a world-class sled master suggested we go sledding.
We traveled several miles to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes where
I proudly brought out my scarred but sturdy plastic sled. You
can only imagine my shock when the girls brought out inner tubes.
I thought we were sledding but they added a whole new dimension.
I stayed true to my heritage and used my sled throughout the
day. Sure, the tubes could go farther. Sure, landing with a tube
didn't hurt on impact. But I was a world-class sled master. I
persevered. At the end of the day I had more scars, and yet another
broken sled, but I hadn't betrayed my roots.
Today I'm still an avid sledding aficionado, though I don't get
the chance to put my life in the belly of a piece of plastic
quite as often. With this being my first year in Moscow, a new
variable has entered my sledding life - hills. Lots of them.
And they are all close. I even live on one. I could probably
sled to campus. All I need now is a new sled. I'm glad Christmas
is coming soon.
university of idaho argonaut
editor in chief david browning
301 student union. moscow, id 83844
ph# 885.7845 argonaut
or e-custodian bob
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