Natalie St. Denis
Deputy Editor
Some of my most memorable winter accidents have occurred during my time here at SUNY Plattsburgh. Seems fair enough given the North Country’s reputation for its extreme winters. But one that still comes up in conversations happened one evening when my roommate and I were walking to the Sundowner. We approached the staircase that leads down to the building and I won’t lie, I think the campus could have done a bit better of a job clearing the stairs or adding salt. I think you can guess what happened next. I walk down the first step or two and instantly I’m swept off both my feet straight onto my butt. Suddenly the stairs become a bumpy slide. There was so much snow that thankfully it didn’t really hurt at all, and all I could do was laugh, and so could the guy walking behind us. But to his surprise and mine, he slips too. As I’m sitting at the bottom of the stairs, still laughing at myself, I ask if he’s alright, thinking we would both laugh it off. But somehow he ends up being the embarrassed one and scurries off, probably thinking karma was a little too real that day.
Munya Chimanye
Editor
About three years ago to date, the Department of Motor Vehicles in Plattsburgh, New York, conquered me. I was not there to get my driver license; as a matter of fact, I was a little loose-legged, and my concern for a friend resulted in me sprinting through the DMV’s parking lot. The parking lot was strewn with wire barriers that I could not see through the darkness, and one of them ultimately took me down. A face plant. I lost a tooth that evening and a slice of my pride, but it was an experience nonetheless.
Micky Mellon
Staff Writer
There I was, an 18-year-old fresh out of my late night shift slinging dishes, on my drive back home. The music was loud and a cigarette kept me company while easing all my worries into the rearview. Confidence was king on that ride while I sped through the cold night, though it was misplaced as I would soon find out. “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC played in the background as a thought crossed my mind, when the chorus hits it would make a great car crash scene in a movie. Not even moments later, I was rounding the sharp corner of this icy country road and my car started to glide on the ice, fishtailing back and forth until I had regained slight control. Then in a split second decision, I needed to purposely steer off the road because there was an oncoming car that would’ve collided into mine. Flying off the side of the road into a corn field lower than the road, my front end of the car digs into the dirt as the back end flips over top. Two rotations later and the chaos finally ceases.
In the aftermath, dangling like a sideways marionette from a seat belt, I felt like I came to from a long sleep. Looking around in disbelief of my situation, a realization washes over me that I have to get out and away from the wreckage. Releasing the seat belt and landing onto the passenger window, I look up to see my only exit is up. The driver side door pops open like a submariner releasing the main hatch, leaving me to sprint towards the road. At the road there was a father and son waiting there for me. They were from the car I almost hit. I asked if they were okay before they could even get a word out. A look of shock washed over the fathers face and he said, “I should be the one asking you that.” “I’m completely fine,” I replied. First responders from all departments started to appear on the scene. Each one asked me if I was okay, to which I responded with “Yes, and thank you for coming.” Like an emotional drunk I kept thanking everyone I saw, as if I were a host for an event. Eventually it was the police officers turn, and he got a laugh out of my adrenaline induced gratitude. Then his face dropped to a stern look as he started writing tickets. The officer handed me two tickets, but as me and the tow truck driver were waiting to depart, he stopped us and said my vehicle is not up to inspection. He proceeded to hand me a third ticket. That being said, no one was injured during this accident, including myself. Well except the car.
Jessica Landman
Staff Writer
One winter a few years ago, I was walking my dog, and the road was a bit slippery with ice and slush. My dog, being the hound she is, caught onto a scent and took off, making me slip and fall. While I was slipping and struggling to get up, she raced down the road, and I had to run after her. I caught her after a few minutes when she got distracted by some other smell on the side of the road. Thankfully, she hasn’t done that again.
Molly Ryan
Staff Writer
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do in the Winter was to go sledding. I would always go with my dad and brother almost every weekend, and I always brought my pink camo sledding tube from L.L Bean. Many sledding memories fill my head., but there is one in particular that tops them all and not in the best way. My brother and I had packed together a bunch of snow toward the end of the hill, to replicate a little jump/slope. At the time, I was probably 10. My brother is six years older than me, so I always wanted to be like him and do big kid things. I went down the hill on my pink tube and went over the jump. All I can remember is I went airborne, flew off the tube, and my whole body hit the fence. I definitely got a little hurt, but it was more funny than painful. Even though that scared me a bit, I still love sledding to this day.
Jesse Taylor
Staff Writer
My freshman year of high school, a group of my friends and I decided to try out skiing at West Mountain. The catch is, a few of us had never skied before, including myself. But we weren’t worried because the more experienced amongst us said they would teach us how to ski. So after arriving at the mountain, receiving our rentals, and gearing up us newbies, we hit the bunny hill. For hours we tried to learn how to ski, falling over and running into people. But the bunny hill gets boring and cold after a while, so with some helpful encouragement from my friends and a sense of confidence, I headed up to the top of the mountain with one of my more experienced buddies. On the way up they said things like “Don’t be nervous Jesse, we’re gonna take you to a green circle trail … It’ll be easy.” I felt ready, more ready than I had ever been before. My nervousness vanished and my excitement skyrocketed. We were nearing the top and I was raring to go. I hopped off the chairlift and immediately fell over. Still, that didn’t stop me. I got up and continued on my way. However, once I hit the trail, I began to fall, over and over and over again. I essentially tumbled down the entire mountain like a bowling ball. I felt as if I were a newborn baby learning how to walk. I just could not get it. So with a sense of discouragement and covered in bruises, I retreated back to the bunny hill.
Kiyanna Noel
Club Member
My favorite winter activities are traveling to tropical islands and sleeping. If I can’t manage the vacation, then the next best thing is to read poetry books and drink hot chocolate. Although outdoor activities like sledding and snowball fights hold a special place in my heart, I love staying inside and keeping warm. My favorite winter memory was sledding in Maryland for the first time with my cousins and brother on the biggest hill I had ever seen. I was in the front of the sled and my brother was in the back, while one of my cousins pushed us. I screamed as we accelerated, but we didn’t slow down until we tilted to the right, flipped over and rolled into the street. It was the first time I had so much fun and wasn’t left with major injuries in the process.
Ziaire Ferrell
Club Member
I can remember my most memorable winter accident as clear as day. I was a freshman in high school. You may have driven to school, but growing up I had to catch a train and bus every morning. One morning I was running late and instead of taking my normal route I took a shortcut. So here I am running to the closest bus stop just making it in time. I stand on the bus and ride up to my stop. When I get off the bus I run straight into school and head upstairs to my locker. Before I could even make it to the top of the stairs I slipped on some melted snow in front of my whole freshman class. I was so embarrassed that everyone had seen me fall that I tried to avoid making eye contact and conversation with anyone for the rest of the day.
APN 