CREW!!
Lots of good times to report at Winterfest for our '07 contingent. We left late Friday after managing to get Lily, Sam and Charles back from Savannah and their GMEA concert. Started off with a shock: Adrian was early, was packed (not over packed), and had all of her paperwork and money! The Apocalypse is nigh!! Relatively uneventful trip up with Vassi D. staying with me very well on the twisty mountain roads to Gatlinburg. This year Winterfest was split between the Convention Center and the new Conference Center just up the road. We headed straight for our habitual favorite, the flying squirrel. We were the first in line and, after giving an instructor a warm up flight, we were all soon sailing through the air showing off our favorite poses. Several crew members then tackled the Prusic climb. Ask Lily about who was the fastest in the first heat. Ask Matthew who was the fastest in the afternoon rematch. From there it was off to the archery area. Lily, Sam and Charles tied for the high score of the day. One of our members managed to shoot the roof of the tent in the training area. She will remain anonymous but her shooting improved dramatically with practice. Much gnashing of teeth when we learned that through a scheduling snafu Winterfest had failed to engage a group to set up the pellet rifle course. Our resident Annie Oakleys, Lily and Adrian, were eager to improve on last year's top scores. Winterfest promises to have Shooter's Alley back in business next year. Of course, no Winterfest would be complete without a spirited game of lazer tag. Somehow Charles wound up on the bad guy squad with the rest of our Crew as the good guys. Rumor has it that we gave Charles up because he is such a big target. Our Crew doubled the other side on points. Shortly after that triumph we hit the slopes. Our ski/board contingent got treated like royalty. Ober Gatlinburg staff whisked them past lines and through the paperwork and gear outfitting so fast that our bunch was slope side well before our scheduled 5:00 pm start. Nothing like extra time on the snow. Nisha had to endure the mandatory boarding instruction but Sam and Charles got her bad lessons corrected quickly. She apparently didn't fall too much since she was sitting comfortably at supper. Clare and Lara cruised easily and Vassi, Sam and Charles got in some good work despite the less than perfect conditions by practicing air and ground 360 turns. There is a rumor around that some of their hi jinks were captured on video. Stay tuned for that and photos on a web site near you. Sam had our carnage of the day by somehow having a close encounter of the dangerous kind with his snowboard. Something about the ceilings not being tall enough for his eight foot frame. Oh well. The doctor says it is just an orbital fracture (!!!) or deep orbital bruise. Ended the snow adventure with Charles being accosted by three female Auburn fans who were feeling very "happy" at the end of their day. If he had just talked football with them he would have gotten rid of them faster. Closed out the day with pizza and pasta followed by cards and movies. All in all, a great day. Woke the next morning to a dusting of snow, cold temperatures, and the necessity of having to detour towards Asheville to get home (just like last year) because the park roads were closed. The Spinner Van was disappointed that she didn't get to drive on snow and ice but she will get over it. The Spinner Van was also disappointed that Lara and Clare did not sing on the way home. Maybe next time. Thanks to all who attended: Adrian, Lily, Lara, Clare, Nisha, Matthew, Sam, and Charles. Special thanks to Vassi for doing such a great job as our female, adult leader. I'm already looking forward to our next trip.
Don W.
Advisor, Crew 149
Pictures on the way!!!
Participating Youth: Adrian A., Lily D., Clare, Lara M., Matthew S., Nisha V., Sam W., Charles W.
Participatin Adults: Vassi D., Don W.