Cheers echoed across the BYU-Idaho campus Friday night as students dressed in funky costumes and braved an icy slope, hoping to make it across, rather than into, a cold pond waiting at the bottom.
Pond skimming has long been a tradition of BYU-Idaho’s Spirit Week SnowFest and made its return last year after a 10-year hiatus. Based on the cheers from the crowd, it’s easy to see why the event came back, as both participants and spectators brought high energy to the night.
“It was incredible. I'll be back next year,” said Dawson Anderson, a participant who crashed into the barrier of the slope.
Participants were judged in two categories: distance and style. In this year’s competition, many seemed to prioritize style, flipping and maneuvering off the jump, often landing in the icy water instead of skimming across it.
“Style points. That's the name of the game. That's 100%. The reason beyond distance,” said Justin Howard, a participant dressed as Cupid.
Costumes ranged from students dressed as BYU-Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III and Sister Jennifer Meredith to a group of friends coordinating as characters from “Nacho Libre.” Jaya Case, a first-year participant, was dressed as a bride preparing for a bouquet toss at the end of the slope.
“I just wanted to represent the spirit of BYU I do through ‘Ring by Spring,’” Case said.
One challenge in making pond skimming happen this year was the lack of natural snow. However, with the help of snow machines and bales of hay, organizers were able to create a man-made slope.
“It is a little disappointing. I think they should have renamed it to DirtFest, or GrassFest maybe,” said Nicole Helfrich, who was dressed in a hospital gown and gauze.
Lizzy Stockburger, a member of the Spirit Events team, said plans had to change quickly due to the lack of snow.
“We originally had a bunch of different plans involving a lot of snow, but quickly we had to switch it because we had lots of different activities and stuff we were going to use the snow for,” Stockburger said. “But since there's no snow, we had to just adapt real quick and create other activities.”
Despite the limited snowfall, joyful hollering and cheering followed every skier down the slope, making pond skimming a successful night full of school spirit.
“It's freaking lit! If you're not here you should be,” Howard said.