8th Annual Cardboard Sled Race Recap!
The 8th Annual Cardboard Sled Race this past Saturday, February 14th was better than we could have hoped and a great way to enjoy Canton's Winterfest after a chilling weekend forced the race to reschedule. Our patience paid off, with a balmy day in the mid-20's and sunny skies, making perfect conditions for speeding down SUNY Canton's sledding hill. Competition was fierce, with many racers fighting their way to the finish line by dragging, flipping, rolling, or getting a boost in their sled from a teammate. Participants competed 1 v. 1 against each other, and then against Nature Up North's sleds to see who was the fastest.
The Teams
SLU Birders - Kestral Sled - Most Nature Themed Sled
Keep Truckin - SSSJMS - Highest Occupancy Sled
Team Sasquatch - Sasquatch Sled - Craftiest Sled
Small but Mighty - Mighty Mouse - Sturdiest Sled
Team Valentine - Be My Valentine - Most Festive Sled
Team Davis - Efficiency - Most Recycled Sled
Team Leo - Leo's Sled - Fastest Looking Sled
T-Wrecks - T-Rex - Most Colorful Sled
Yeeting Corn - Birthday - Most Artistic Design
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In addition to the prizes these teams won for their designs, they also had the opportunity to win prizes in head-to-head matchups! We’d like to thank the community organizations and businesses who donated prizes to us including Canton’s Little Italy, Jreck Subs, Gamer Craze, and Ogdensburg Bowl. This year's races showcased an unprecidented level of both style and speed! Typically, teams sacrifice one for the other, but good snow conditions and an increase in the number of plastic bags recycled as a bottom sled surface led to most of our sleds making across the finish line. Even better, most sleds stayed in one piece this year! Each team also proved that they're better at building sleds than our Nature Up North team, each defeating our "log ride" entry in heads-up matchups.
For more photos see North Country Now's Slideshow. Thanks to the Canton Chamber of Commerce, SUNY Canton, and SUNY Canton EMS for collaborating, and thanks to all of the cardboard sled racers that came out and showed off their creativity and speed! We can’t wait for next year's race!
Dan French is a 2021 graduate of Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. While there, he majored in Sustainability with minors in General Business and Management. As an undergrad he had the opportunity to intern with the National Park Service's Office of Policy in Washington D.C., conduct self-led research on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid's impact on North American species of Hemlock, and was elected sectetary of his universities ultimate fresbee team, Bentley Icehouse. A native of Potsdam NY, Dan spent many summers cultivating his love for outdoor education at 4-H Camp Overlook where he was a camper turned staff for a total of 14 years. In his free time, Dan enjoys hiking in the Adirondacks and skiing when the snow allows. Most recently, Dan returned to the North Country after a one year term of service as an AmeriCorps member in Montana. He served as the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife (TM) Coordinator in Missoula and the surrounding area. Now that he's back, Dan hopes to expand his connection to the environment through whitewater kayaking, backpacking, and expanding access to the wonders of the North Country to anyone and everyone who wants to tag along.