Fifteen

Issue date: 3/9/10 Section: Student Life

The elite assembled and are eager to compete. They look ready. At subzero temperatures one guy, (300lbs + type) is taking a cozy outdoor bubble bath, heated over an open fire. Other competitors in flashy costumes exhibit their shiny toboggans, carefully pre-waxed for months and discuss last minute adaptations to factor in snow conditions, temperature and the state of the piste.
Present for the first time amidst this fierce amalgamation of Maine-yaks is a sizeable group of MIT Sloan students, who has come up for the weekend to win the national title. Led by head organizer and "Tobogganing godfather" Thomas Annicq, Sloan athletes show up in their moose t-shirts and other goofy gear, making an effort to blend in and to understand how tobogganing works.
Some locals had to get stitches after an unpleasant turnover towards the end of their ride. The teams began to wonder: "Is it too late to resign?" "Whose idea was this anyways?" One of teams didn't have too much time to ask these questions because shortly they heard: "Next!!!" Too late, there's no turning back and they were up. 4 friends on a sled, tasting the leathery boots of their teammates and are in for a bonding experience that makes the "core" look pale in comparison. "AAaahhhh". They didn't see much after they were let go down the ice channel, it shook a great deal and were fast and vulnerable - after 9 seconds however they were done. Not exactly 9- rather 9.006 seconds. Too slow, the really good times are more in the 8.500 category - every 1/1000 second matters in that sport. Here goes the title and their claim to fame - it's back to school and the original career path on Monday.
In the spirit of the sport around 30 Sloanies rented out a house in the area for the weekend. They had chili for dinner, play games and chat and dance until the wee hours of the morning. They missed the 2nd run the following day - a hearty breakfast with this lively group is just too good to resist. A steaming tea in hand, they now talk about the championships next year though and are confident that they will be mentally and physically tougher and more successful then. A hearty breakfast after all is the first step to more weight and in Tobogganing - unlike MIT - defying gravity is not an option.

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