 |
         |
      |
 |
      |
| Volume XXV, Number 4 | March 19, 2004 |
By Joe Collins
STOWE, VT — The boys and girls from the Hollywood reservation were no different from the many other people who visit Stowe. This small town is a popular vacation spot for most snow seekers on the Atlantic coast.
As they prepared for their trip to the frozen mountains of Vermont, the kids had dreams of building a snowman, sledding, snowboarding and most of all hitting their chaperones with many, many snowballs. They boarded the plane here in sunny Ft. Lauderdale, wearing typical Floridian clothing, t-shirts, jeans and shorts.
When they landed in Vermont, they had to grab jackets and make a run for the mini-vans, and take the 45 minute ride through the snow-filled mountains before reaching the comfort of their warm and dry rooms. The kids were excited to dive right into the snow, and the first snowball fight broke out as we were picking up the keys to the rooms. The fight then carried over to the front of the rooms as the kids through snowballs and each other into the three-foot deep snow banks before they returned to their rooms.
The sun was just coming up on Friday morning, and all of the boys and girls were up and ready for a long day of playing in the snow. They started with sledding on a hill in town were they each tried to out do the other and to see who was brave enough to go all the way to the top.
The children raced each other down the hill, laughing all the way. As soon as they reached the bottom, they would grab the sled and race back to the top. At first, the kids who had been raised in the sun and surf of South Florida, struggled with handling the sleds, but it didn’t take long for all of them to master the techniques of snow sledding.
As lunch drew near, this crew of professional sledders boarded the mini-vans to tackle lunch. On the way, they were given a quick look at the mountain they would take on the next day.
That afternoon, everyone loaded up and headed to a small town just down the road from Stowe. That town was Waterbury, home to one of America’s greatest landmarks, the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory. The tour allowed the children to view the factory as well as a brief history of company, and best of all, free ice cream. After indulging themselves on ice cream, the crew stopped at one the many local shops to rent their snowboarding equipment for Saturday’s trip to the mountain.
Saturday morning began early, as most of the kids were out trying their snowboards and building a snowman, which turned out to be a snow-woman. As lunch time approached, the snow boarders; Garrett Anderson, Joseph Osceola, Courtney Osceola, Huston Osceola, Nicole Osceola, and Krystle Young gathered up their boards and headed to the mountain for some serious snowboarding action.
The group learned the different aspects of handling a board, most of which was learning how to get back up after falling. After lunch a couple brave survivors, Garrett Anderson and Krystle Young took the long ride up to the top to try to tame the mountain. All of the snow boarders survived their trip to the mountain and headed back to receive their well earned dinner and swimming.
But for Mike Doctor, his adventure was about to begin. Doctor, being a veteran of countless all-terrain vehicle (ATV) trail rides with the Hollywood Recreation Department, is very familiar with 4 wheelers. However, this time Doctor was on an ATV that didn’t have wheels, a 2004 Polaris snowmobile.
The next day was Sunday, and even the waitress at the small diner noticed the long faces on all of the kids. They knew their trip was over. They knew they were going home and would have to go to school the next day. But they used their time wisely, making sure they used up every second to play in the snow, and making sure to hit the adults with one last snowball before they left.
.
.
| Home · History · Culture · Tourism & Enterprises · Government · Services · Employment |
Copyright © MMIV Seminole Tribe of Florida
6300 Stirling Road
Hollywood, Florida 33024
Phone: (800) 683-7800
URL:
All questions/comments: tribune@semtribe.com
Webmaster: webadmin@semtribe.com
Web site maintained by Seminole Tribe of Florida
Page Updated: Thursday, March 25, 2004 1:02 PM