WinterFest 2012: a freezing good time

By Marc Hartmann

Guest Writer

This year Saint Mary’s University hopes to host its first WinterFest, a weeklong event held by the Intramural Department.

The week will consist of daily events that students have the opportunity to participate in, including human bowling, tug-of-war, tray sled racing, snowshoe races and broomball.

Andrea Moore, newly appointed assistant intramural director, said that the goal of WinterFest is simply to have fun.

“It provides an opportunity to introduce more students to intramurals and will naturally increase the amount of participation here at SMU,” said Moore

The events were supposed to start on Sunday, Feb. 5 with a kick-off, followed by the anticipated debut of outdoor broomball. Howver, the events have been postponed due to unseasonably warm weather.

While many students may have played broomball in the ice arena, this will be the first time SMU will be creating an outdoor ice rink to host the activity. It will be formed in the area located between the baseball and softball fields.

The concept of WinterFest has been in planning for quite some time and looks to bring back an atmosphere once seen at the annual Winter Carnival days of many years past. Teams will get both t-shirts and participation points at the events throughout the week.

Moore said that “being in Minnesota, you should never be afraid to be outside. If you are, you’re missing a lot. Plus you have the opportunity to be part of the start of what will hopefully be a yearly tradition here at SMU.”

Besides these team events, the week will also focus on school pride. Cardinal Pride events will be held to support SMU teams during the week, such as the week’s scheduledathletic events. At such games, both individuals and teams will have opportunities to win prizes for showing their Cardinal Pride.

To participate in WinterFest, students can either sign up with a team online by using their intramural pin number or by showing up prior to an event. Look for updates on WinterFest to stay informed of the week’s events and how to get involved at www.saintmaryssports.com.