SPORTSBRIEFS

Author: ZAMIR AHMED, SPORTS EDITOR

Carnival provides wintery mix

The 83rd Middlebury College Winter Carnival, running from Feb. 23-26, will feature a number of athletic events for students that do not require varsity status. The Carnival, a four-day festival celebrating a ski meet hosted by the Middlebury alpine and nordic ski teams, will include athletic events for both spectators and competitors. The celebration will provide Middlebury community members the chance to celebrate and enjoy the winter season despite the general lack of snow on the ground and unseasonable warmth.

On Feb. 23, Kenyon Arena will play host to the Winter Carnival Ice Show titled "Warning: Keep Frozen." The event is the first one of the Carnival and goes along with the general theme of "Iced Out." The featured skaters for the event come from the Middlebury Figure Skating Club, which is composed of both local community members and Middlebury students and staff. Joining them on the ice will be guest performers Ross Miner and Katrina Hacker. Miner, who is only 15 years old, is the 2006 United States National Intermediate Men's Champion, and Hacker finished 7th at United States State Farm Championships and won the 2006 North Atlantic Regional Junior Ladies Championship. The show runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. with tickets for sale at the door for five dollars. Admission is open to the public. An encore performance of the show will run on Feb. 24 beginning at 7:30 p.m.

For those students who want to get outside during the break and have gotten into the Olympic spirit, this year's Carnival features a new event. On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Winter Carnival Social Board and the Middlebury Mountain Club will sponsor "Cabin Fever: Winter Olympics," which will be held on Battell Beach and McCullough Lawn. The event features activities such as sledding, snowman building, human bobsled races and snow football. The event runs from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The main focus of the Winter Carnival will begin on Feb. 24, when the skiing events begin. The alpine events of the meet will take place at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl while the nordic events will be run at the Rikert Ski Touring Center. All the skiing events are open to the public.

So far this season, the Middlebury ski team has finished second to the University of Vermont at all four of its meets. If the team is able to overcome the Catamounts, the Panthers would certainly give the College community something to celebrate.



Olympic fever hits Vermont

Unless you have been sitting in a dark room for the past few weeks with your eyes and ears shut, by now you probably know that the XX Winter Olympic Games from Torino, Italy have kicked off. The Games, which began on Feb. 10 and end on Feb. 26, feature high-class competition in a variety of events in 15 different athletic disciplines. Bringing more reason to watch the Games for Middlebury students, this year's United States Olympic Team features four athletes with Vermont roots, who have already proven that they belong with the best in the world.

Perhaps the most recognizable Vermonter at these Games is Hannah Teter, who grabbed gold in the women's snowboarding halfpipe on Feb. 13. Teter, who won the event at the 2004 Winter X Games, took home the top prize after completing the two best runs of the competition. The 20-year-old, who was born and still lives in Belmont, Vt., has brought a little bit of Vermont with her to the Games. Teter carried with her to Italy some homemade maple syrup, which she has been helping her family make since she was young.

Though a long-shot for a medal, Andy Newell is America's best cross-country sprinter who has improved greatly in a short amount of time. Newell, who lives in Shaftsbury, Vt., went to Stratton Mountain School, which Lindsey Jacobellis, a favorite for the gold in the women's snowboard cross, also attended. Newell is the leader of a group of cross-country skiers who call themselves the Vermont Militia and live by the motto, "I'm from Vermont; I do what I want."

Jimmy Cochran, who was born in Burlington, attended Middlebury for a year but transferred to the University of Vermont (UVM) for his sophomore year. He is currently taking time off from UVM to make his Olympic debut, where he hopes to medal in the slalom.