Unique riding competition to be held at Gumper's Hill
By Marigold Substance
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Features Reporter
Dressed in flashy costumes, ski goggles, and
warm clothes, the competitors race down the hill. They preform tricks, do
flips, and even smile happily as they complete their run. The judges hold up
their scores for all to see. In the end, the best team wins. The Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City, perhaps? No, it will be the first (and possibly
the last) ever "freestyle standup synchronized sledding" competition. Nancy
Hinderliter put together the competition to be held next weekend at Gumper's
Hill.
"I've always wanted to compete in an Olympic sport, but I've never found one
that I'm really good at. So, I figured the next best thing would be to
invent one," said Hinderliter. She tried non-carbonated beverage guzzling,
cell phone tossing, and even the delicate sport of jelly bread tossing
(trying to get the side with the jelly on it to land on top instead of on
the bottom), but found she wasn't really skilled at any of them. Finally,
Hinderliter found success in sled-riding. "Sledding is such an artistic
thing, so I figured it would be an ideal sport to develop." She decided that
standing on a sled would be a great place to work out a routine of some
kind, similar to those they perform in figure skating.
Hinderliter says that the more typical thing to focus on for sledding would
be the speed aspect. "Anybody can make a sled go fast down a hill," she
says. "But how many can stand on a sled and perform a routine worthy of a
ballerina?" Hinderliter said that while interest has not been especially
high from the community, she expects many to show up unannounced on the day
of the competition. "On the other hand, I found a lot of people to be
judges. Seems like a lot of people will enjoy watching this sort of thing if
nothing else."
This
article originally appeared in "The Odyssey Times," a
special fictional newspaper produced by Focus on the Family to promote
Adventures in Odyssey.
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