Winter Carnival has crept up on everyone at Dartmouth and I'm sure many are surprised that it is actually February. The lack of snow has students on campus confused as to how the biggest weekend of Winter term will occur if there is no snow in which to make snow angels. If it weren't for the frigid temperatures and lifeless trees, you would have no idea that we're in the middle of the season we refer to as "winter." The skies are clear, and everyone is fairly happy without the need for happy lamps it almost feels like spring has arrived in Hanover. That being said, I'm certain I have now jinxed all of us, and I wouldn't be shocked to see a snowfall of epic proportions in the upcoming days.
The MIA snow has presented a problem for those students in charge of building the Winter Carnival snow sculpture. With this year's carnival theme, "Carnival in Candyland The Sweetest Carnival Ever," the sculpture will be a model of a cupcake. Basically, all the snow in Hanover can be found in the center of the Green, as the sculpture crew tries to figure out if doing rain dances will produce more snow.
Had I been told that there were going to be meetings to decide the theme of Carnival, I would've gone to the meetings and presented a well-outlined plan for my theme, "The Dartmouth Sports Carnival The Most Important Thing We Do." Many student-athletes at this school have performed admirably in their respective sports, so they should have the chance to be etched in snow and Dartmouth history, even if it's only for a handful of days. If my hypothetical theme would have been accepted, there would have been a survey sent out to campus that asked students to vote for their choice of which Dartmouth student-athlete would be the literal "center of attention" at Carnival. There would be several choices, but only one could be the Harry Potter or "Chosen One" of Winter Carnival.Option No. 1: Nick Schwieger '12, football
If Tim Tebow can get a life-size statue outside of the University of Florida football stadium for winning the Heisman Trophy, then Schwieger definitely deserves to be the snow sculpture in my hypothetical Carnival. Because of his phenomenal performance this past season, Schwieger was awarded the 73rd annual George "Bulger" Lowe Award, "New England's Heisman Trophy," along with Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Schwieger finished his Dartmouth career as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,150 yards, and his 26 rushing touchdowns are the second most in Dartmouth history. I could keep going, but I'll stop there because I think you understand that he is a special football player and one of the best Dartmouth has seen. Schwieger's numerous accolades are surely shining on his shelf, but having a snow sculpture on the Green would definitely mean a lot more. A sculpture of Schwieger stiff-arming an opponent perhaps a Harvard University football player would be very appropriate.Option No. 2: Dartmouth ski team
It's difficult to choose just one skier to be the face of Carnival, since they have all been crushing this season. There isn't much excitement over this squad, which is somewhat confusing since all these guys do is win. The men's and women's Nordic teams both won their respective races this weekend, and the alpine team definitely did its part, securing three top spots. The team is gaining momentum, and a victory in this upcoming weekend's Dartmouth Winter Carnival would bode well for its season. A sculpture of the team's top skiers coming down a mountain would be quite the sight, although we'd definitely need Mother Nature to help us out with more snow.Option No. 3: Abbey D'Agostino '14, track
It's risky business touting an underclassman, but you've got to give credit where credit is due. Just last week I mentioned D'Agostino in my column for having broken the Dartmouth mile record twice. This weekend, she helped the women's distance medley relay team set a new school record, breaking the previous mark by more than 11 seconds. Alexi Pappas '12, Christina Supino '12, Megan Krumpoch '14 and D'Agostino ran the event in 11:05.67. This feat puts the team in position to qualify for the Indoor Championships, which will take place in March. The sculpture for this option could feature D'Agostino finishing and winning a race with the rest of her opponents far, far behind.
Winter Carnival has arrived, and although my hypothetical theme will only come to life in this column, I'm still very excited for the weekend. Alumni will storm Hanover, lots of pong will be played and dance parties will be broken up almost as soon as they start. Stay safe and warm, Dartmouth, but rage on.
