Winter Carnival 2007

Author: Polly Johnson

With the three-day weekend behind us, we can now reflect upon the glory that was the 84th annual Middlebury College Winter Carnival celebration. Including such festivities as the ice show, cultural gala, Nordic and alpine ski competitions and the ball, the Carnival, with "Jet-Set" as its theme, did not disappoint.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday afternoon with the Cultural Gala at the Center for the Arts, an event that included a capella groups and activities for children. Following the gala was the "Around the World in 80 Days" Ice Show, held at Kenyon Arena and featuring guest skater Ross Miner, the 2006 United States National Intermediate Men's Champion.

Those who trekked to either the Rikert Ski Touring Center or the Middlebury College Snow Bowl on Friday and Saturday were treated to exhilarating ski races and enthusiastic fans.

Post ski race-watching, students stripped off the ski gear and got dolled up for the annual ball. Nura Suleiman '07 reflected on her experience with winter balls past and present. "Freshman year," she said, "I got dressed up for the ball, took pictures and then didn't go. Sophomore year, a whole year wiser, I didn't even contemplate dressing up. Junior year, well, I was abroad, and unless you consider Syria 2006 on par with the winter ball, I guess I didn't go...again. This year - veni, vidi, vici baby. I came, I saw, I conquered - end of story."

Winter Carnival Committee member and co-organizer of the ball Oona Cassidy '07 explained that the "idea for the ball came from nightlife around the world - we picked Tokyo, New York and Chamonix."

But the highlight of the night, perhaps, was the announcement of the Winter Carnival King and Queen. A male, Amaury Sosa '07, won the title of queen and a female, Milena Flament '07, won the title of king! Flament noted that she "only found out she was nominated when the names of the nominees were released," which "was a scheme" on the part of her and Sosa's friends. She added, "I don't think anyone expected their king to be wearing a dress."

Sosa was clearly touched by his win - "As an international, queer student of color I was both shocked and honored to see the enthusiasm with which the Middlebury community welcomed the idea of having a guy for queen and a girl for king. I could not have asked for a better gift. My love goes out to those who made the nomination and to those who voted for the both of us."