The long weekend saw the advent of the much-anticipated Section F ski trip, and 38 Frogs and partners moved the Frog Pond from Aldrich 208 to Stowe, Vermont. Terrible traffic and dodgy directions made the trip up an arduous one–just ask Craig Robinson, who headed towards Maine before coming back to Massachusetts and finally turning towards Vermont. Luckily, it was all worth it when we arrived at Stowe–a postcard perfect ski village complete with fairy lights and window candles. Our luxury lodging fit the bill as well with all the antique sleds, all the modern conveniences, and playthings we could want. Unfortunately we couldn’t turn on the waterfall in the winter. We were gratified to learn that this was the second home of a business school graduate, albeit from Wharton. May we all own even first homes like this in the future.
On Friday night, Sunny Jongsaritwang showed off his Thai ping-pong skills when he dismissed his partner Jason Lockwood to be better able to play against doubles team Javier Segovia and Stephan Morais. Corey Mulloy (OG) showed his true skills as a pool shark, or at least what happens to all of us when we become 2nd years. To relieve the tension of the drive up, a fast and furious drinking game of quarters was organized. Darren Crawford took the punishment for his lack of quarters skill in fine Aussie style, and a new phrase has entered the Section F lexicon–the Crawford Spout. [The editor assures everyone that Darren’s Aussie machismo is still intact–the Crawford Spout is a high volume drinking device, not a new regurgitation technique.] After quarters, some hardcore individuals took a dip in the outdoor hot tub–ably served by Jason Lockwood who mixed and delivered a mean pi¤a colada in a Tupperware bowl.
Saturday dawned (mid-morninged?) bright and sunny and even those with just a few hours sleep were ready to hit the slopes. Many Frogs tried their hand at snowboarding while Jen McAuliffe, Yue Shao, Sunny Jongsaritwang, and Marc Sullivan had their first taste of skiing. Conditions were great with a nice covering of powder, which is apparently unusual in Vermont. Luckily there are no injuries to report, but Javier Segovia’s spectacular wipe out while standing in the lift line was a highlight. Non-slope hitters Alex Mandl, Amee Chande, Rachel Hartman, Michelle Lockwood, and Mushtak Khatri toured the Ben and Jerry factory (closely noticing capacity and throughput times), and brought us all back spices and cinnamon for some much appreciated mulled cider.
Saturday night saw many nursing aching muscles in the hot tub. Some went out for Mexican while others stayed in for pizza. Ping-pong, pool, movies, card games, Pictionary, and charades were the order of the night. We had a little scare when the fireplaces started to fill up the house with smoke, but we managed to convince the home security agency that we didn’t need the fire department.
Most Frogs headed home on Sunday morning, but others returned to the slopes eager for more, with Amee Chande and Nikki Germany venturing onto cross country skis. Luckily the trip back was much faster than the trip up there, and we were back in Boston stretching our sore bodies in no time at all. Many thanks from lead organizers Amee Chande and Nikki Germany to all the people who helped make this such a great weekend: Jonathan Hodgson (accommodation), Ronan McCardle (transportation), Sarah Jacoby and Jason Lockwood (food), Jen McAuliffe (restaurants), Robin King (ski packages), the drivers, and to everyone else for tidying up and helping out. We had so much fun we’re planning to do it all again in October for fall foliage and a Section NF post-summer reunion. Any volunteers to organize it??
