Helping Out with a Dartmouth Tradition

HANOVER, N.H. — One of the great traditions of the Dartmouth Winter Carnival is the massive snow sculpture in the middle of the Green. This year the Roman Colosseum is being crafted out of the numerous mounds of snow that have had to be transported to Hanover due to the lack of snow this season. Moving all of that snow once it gets to the Green is quite a chore, and that's where volunteers like the football team come in handy.

A group of more than 25 football players pitched in to break up hardened snow, shovel it into barrels and dump the snow into place for the sculpture. This is no rare occurrence as this has become a tradition for the squad.

“The Dartmouth football players have always had a tradition helping build the snow sculpture in years past,” said Riley Kane '12, the snow sculpture recruiting chair for the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC). “They always help and usually in great numbers. Frankly, the snow sculpture needs people who can do physical labor. And having a bunch of manly men out there for a few hours does wonders. We are always able to move a lot of snow with their help.”

Dartmouth head football coach Buddy Teevens encourages his team members to contribute their time to this time-honored Dartmouth tradition. “I know as a former player that seeing the sculpture and homecoming bonfire, and knowing that you have helped in that tradition really ties you into what is Dartmouth.”

Braving the cold for hours at a time may sound like nothing new for football players, but without the thrill of pounding a runner into the turf or racing for the end zone, the chill can set in quickly, even with the extra layers of clothing. In the end, however, it becomes another bonding experience that brings the team closer together as a unit and to the college as a whole.

“It doesn't matter that it was an especially cold day — they all enjoyed helping out,” Teevens commented. “I know that come Winter Carnival when the sculpture is all done, they will be telling all their friends and families they helped build it. I also know when they come back with their families as alumni, they will talk about these great experiences. Tradition is something that really helps make Dartmouth what it is.”

Football team helping for the snow sculpture