First to the Bottom

The K-8 spent a day last week designing and building sleds from cardboard and Duct tape and put their ideas to the test by racing their inventions on Friday.

There were over 30 and 100 kids who raced in staggered sets of twos, threes and fours. Many of the contestants and their crews excitedly explained their design strategies and their expected chances of winning against their competitors.

Two questions were asked of several of the participants: what was the inspiration for their design and what did they think of their chances? These are some of their answers.

Hayden Amende spoke with confidence: "Me and some friends were playing around with hay bales and stuff so we just thought about using them and a horse trailer." He figured their chances of winning were "pretty good".

Kaylee Bucknur stated, "We kind of just worked with it." She opined that they had a good chance to win.

Trace Isenberger said that the design he chose was based on capacity and figured their chances at 50 percent.

The sled built by Spencer Waliezer, Camdin Williamson, Max Daniels and Waylon Wisti was voted most likely to win by their peers with a simple no-frill look. The sled, though, ended bogged in the snow before the finish line.

Each rider donned their helmet before assisting their crew with transporting the sled to the top of the hill. Record keepers and referees stood at the top and waited at the bottom of the hill as the participants prepared for each 30-second race.

Among the myriad sleds, there were unicorns, tacos and a fox as well as a semi truck and an angry bird, to name only a few.

Marley Braaton, one of the competitors, had this to say after her run: "It was fun because we didn't just watch, we got to actually race!"

Smiles wreathed the faces of kids and adults alike as everyone took advantage of the bright cold day.