BRISTOL, Tenn. – BRISTOL, Tenn. – Plain old gravity wasn’t enough for the sledders tackling the hilly terrain at King College on Saturday. To get the most awesome ride ever, they relied on ingenuity, too.
Paul Woodard said he cruised down snowy hills atop just about anything while growing up in New York. If a traditional sled wasn’t available, why not grab a plastic trash bag, or careen downhill with your friends all scrunched together on a flipped-over car hood?
So before tackling the terrain at King College on Saturday, he offered his 9-year-old daughter, Jasmine, a pointer for her first ever downhill run – make the sled slick. He guaranteed plenty of thrills, spills and squeals with just a splash of Pledge furniture spray under the inner tube.
“It should work. It makes the furniture slick,” Woodard said.
Moments later, he pushed the inner tube carrying both Jessica and 10-year-old friend Brooklyn Ketchem. Their makeshift sled spun counter clockwise halfway down the hill, hit a bump and overturned, spilling the girls onto the snow.
They laughed the entire ride.
Several yards away, 10-year-old Jeremy Kinkead added a new twist to using the traditional plastic sled. He rode two at once. He swore that more speed could be attained by placing the sleds beside each other and riding them on hands and knees.
“You just don’t want to hit any bumps,” he said. That would send the sleds in different directions and leave the rider with a face full of snow.
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In a demonstration run, Jeremy did appear to bullet past other sledders. But a bump in his path threw him into the air with arms and legs flailing.
“I’m OK,” he yelled, a few seconds after landing on his back with arms and legs spread out.
Ingenuity isn’t always the key to fun in the snow. Sometimes, all it takes is having friends around, 16-year-old Caleb Fuhrken, said.
Usually, Fuhrken prefers a snow board to a sled. He brought his board Saturday. Growing up in New York, he spent winters on a snow board and summers on a skate board. So surfing down a snowy slope just comes natural.
Still, the deciding factor between board or sled depends on whether he is with a group of friends, and if they are skilled with a board. Most people aren’t.
“Anybody can use a sled,” Fuhrken said. “Not anybody can use a snow board.”
mowens@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2549
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