This past Saturday, teams of BU students and alumni gathered in Marsh Plaza for some friendly winter competition: an ice-sculpting contest. Eight chiseled works of frozen art were created over the span of four hours. This competition was organized by the Boston University Alumni Association as one of many Winterfest weekend activities.
Competitors Derrick Kwan (CAS ’14) and Sai Meera Ganesan (CAS ’13) were on their way to study in Mugar Library when they were waylaid in Marsh Plaza by the idea of frozen glory and fun. They quickly drew up plans to sculpt a “Baby Patrick,” inspired by the popular children’s cartoon character Patrick Starr. “We were thinking of Harry Potter and of our favorite cartoons as kids. But we also had to ask ourselves, ‘What can we actually draw?’ ” laughed Ganesan. The team had never ice-sculpted before.
For some alumni, the competition was a family affair. Carlos Morles (GRS ’02) and his wife stepped back and let their two daughters plan the sculpture, a polar bear. Xuemei Gaø (MED ’02), an assistant professor of immunology on the BU medical campus, allowed both her children to take charge of a block of ice — a dragon and a “Peace on Earth” sculpture were born. The family of Robert (CAS ’98) and Christina Michaud (SED ’02) — known on Saturday as “the Skating Jedis” — constructed an R2-D2 sculpture at their son Marcus’s request.
Sisters Judith (MET ’84) and Joyce Rubin worked on an intricate “BU Girl” sculpture. “This is my fifth year coming,” remarked Judith. “The first year, there was a five-way tie … we all got gift cards. Now it’s like American Idol — everyone at BU gets to vote on the winner. It’s fun. Every year, I come back and endeavor to learn the craft … you know. It’s just for fun,” she commented, while chiseling at the detail of their sculpture’s long eyelashes.
The results of the vote-tally agreed on one thing: sometimes it’s best to ignore your Mugar Library study plans and try something new. First-time sculptors Kwan and Ganesan took first prize for their “Baby Patrick” design. In second place was “Simon Petrikov: The King of C-C-C Cool” (sculpted by Sharon Solomon [CAS ’14], Maria Cuneo [CAS ’15], Avery Gehring [SED ’15], Brad Farrell [CFA ’15], and Marina Marcelli [CAS ’15]). The Michaud family took third place with their R2-D2 sculpture.
Personally? I would have suggested an eight-way tie for first place.