MVS Madison

It was a cold, blustery day. We bundled up, hopped in the van, and drove over to Evjue Park, home of hapless sledders walking straight up the middle of a slicked-down hill. Up, up, up we went (far far away from the middle of the hill), and when we got to the top we found Jake, Erica, and Sara waiting for us with sleds. So many sleds!

There was Roundy, the purple plastic disc, which spun incessantly so you couldn’t tell which half of the hill was up and which was down.

There was the Torpedo, a black sled equipped with brakes but little to no steering. As I careened down the hill on the Torpedo, I had to belt out warnings to clumps of people who had toppled off their sleds (“Look out! I can’t steer!) while laughing hysterically.

Then there was Wipeout Willy, the grey sled I fell off no fewer than four times on the same run.

And my personal favorite, the Rainbow. “It’s fast,” said Ryan, and he wasn’t kidding. I watched him pelt away down the hill, flip at the bottom, and roll about ten feet off into the soft snow. And what about Erica and Sara’s ill-fated tandem run? They  must have hit a bump. Erica said, “We were going faster and faster, and I saw Max, and then I looked up and Sara was in the sky!”

Max was there with his giant kite. Reportedly he’d been letting it pull him across the ice on his ice skates. This time he was attempting to let it pull him down the hill. The wind was strong – it probably could’ve given him some serious velocity – but the hill acted as a windbreak, and as soon as he was over the crest it deflated. A valiant attempt nonetheless.

And of course there was the giant sled train of everyone: a pile-up at the bottom resulted in some pretty gnarly ice burn on Erica’s face and a few bruised ribs, but I think all involved would agree it was worth it. (Yes? No?)

Some Photos from the Fun!

Ben and Andrew on top of the…hill

The MVSers prepare for a final descent

Annie, Jake, and Erica take a rest

The MMC group poses before heading home