"COMMUNITY" - THE EVOLUTION OF A SNOW SCULPTURE
Budweiser Select International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado
January 22 through26, 2008
TEAM USA LOVELAND, COLORADO
Garett Dreiling, Jack Kreutzer, Team Representative, Randy Shorman, Randy Amys and Steve Mercia.
THE FINISHED PIECE
THE CONCEPT
The vessel of life's survival is contingent on communal collaboration. Although a highly strenuous task, through the support and commitment of all seven continents we can conserve and protect our Earth's resources to ensure the quality of life for future generations.
THE PROCESS
TUESDAY - A COLD BLOCK OF SNOW
We started on Tuesday morning with temperatures in the single digits. That is a good thing for snow sculpting. The skies were mostly cloudy and light snow fell. All the team members were excited to start carving on their allotted block of snow, marked "Loveland" for Team USA Loveland.
Jack worked on the figures at the back of the sculpture and soon found that snow is a great medium for sculpture.
Steve, Garett and Randy cut out the top of the cup. Being that we only had 6 hours, we needed to work quickly to get as much done as possible. Randy Shorman was great at discussing our piece with the spectators and that allowed the Team to keep working.
At the end of the day, everything seemed to be on schedule.
WEDNESDAY - TAKING SHAPE ON A SUNNY DAY
Today started out great with temperatures nice and cold. The sun came out around 11:00 and helped keep everyone warm and toasty. It was still cold enough that there was no problem with the weather. A sunny second day makes the carving go better because the snow softens up.
THURSDAY - A VERY PRODUCTIVE DAY
We had a very productive day as you can see by the photos. We had a sunny afternoon so the sunblock went up to protect the sunny side of the sculpture
.
The seven figures emerged and we were able to hollow out underneath the cup. The crowds continue to grow and we had several people gathering around our sculpture enjoying the fire Randy Shorman was tending.
Speaking of Randy, he was interviewed by Channel 2 News and was the highlight of their newscast last night at 9pm. I heard he was very well spoken.
The viewers are really enjoying our message. We even sold a bronze of the piece and a Butterfly Kisses snow globe.
FRIDAY - A BONE WEARY TEAM WORKS INTO THE NIGHT
The snow fell most of the day and the crowds grew.
We spent most of the day thinning the piece. We are getting closer to the finish line.
Here are photos of the piece as of 1:20am on Saturday.
We are taking a break for a few hours before coming back out to put on the finishing touches.
We are all looking forward to being done so that we can rest our weary bones.
SATURDAY - AT THE FINISH LINE
It is an absolutely wonderful day here in Breckenridge. We finished this morning at 9:35: the competition is really stiff.
Time to rest and wait for the judging and awards ceremony at 3:30.
Thanks to all of you for your encouraging comments and following us through this marathon.
THE WINNERS
