Goldilocks visited St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary on Jan. 25 in an unusual way. This was the day of the annual Winter Carnival, a chance for a bunch of cabin-fever afflicted teenage boys to enjoy a full day of games and competitions. Winter Carnival started 47 years ago, but sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate. Last year, the weather was so cold (minus-40 degrees) that many of the events had to be moved inside. In other years, there has been no snow. But this year, not only had there been plenty of snow before the day, it was actually snowing during the carnival, and the temperature was 30 degrees – 70 degrees warmer than the previous year.
The day started with morning prayer, the official Winter Carnival torch was lit, and the games began.
Broom Ball was among the games that were fun to play and to watch. Football, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee were played outside in the snow. The snow was perfect packing, so there were some “unofficial” games between the official games. One impromptu competition was to see how big a snowball the students could create, and there were massive friendly snowball fights that the students (and some staff members) really seemed to enjoy.
After lunch, the events moved indoors, with the rat race, 3-on-3 basketball, and various video game competitions taking place.
Each fraternity (a group of a couple of students from each grade) competed in this friendly daylong rivalry. By the evening, Fraternity #15 had been declared the winner. But there was still one special event left. Some of the students became hopeful when the “All Star Students” basketball team took an early lead over the “All Pro Faculty/Staff” team in the annual contest of youth vs. age. By the end of the game, however, age (and height) prevailed.
Hot chocolate and snacks and camaraderie were available throughout the day.
