Alpine Penguin Sliding: Good times in the Alps

A blog post by Greg Sisco, Spring 2011

As we raced down the mountain head-first at a speed never reached by man before in this particular way, I began to reflect on my life. I had indeed lived a very blessed life full of laughter, family, and friends. I had come to a very stable point in my relationship with Christ, and yet I felt like there was so much more to come. In short: I was not ready to die. Not here. Not now. Not like this.

Perhaps I should clarify what exactly my friend Dan McNally and I were doing and what exactly led to this particular stunt. After a day of snowboarding in the Alps, we had conquered every single run presented to us with ease; with the exception of the run they call “Number Eight”. Not only was it the steepest run, but the iciest as well. For all those familiar with snow related sports, this is a deadly combination for those without Winter Olympic quality talent. Every single time we had gone down this run, we had been knocked off balance and sent flying down the mountain on our backs. Our friends on skis had repeatedly achieved numerous “yard sales” – a term given to a skier who loses his poles, skis, helmet, gloves, etc. in the event of a massive wipeout.

Dan and I decided that we would not be thrown off balance against our will any longer. We would instead control our own destiny and “Penguin Slide” number eight – a term used by snowboarders who launch themselves face first, on their stomachs, with their boards up in the air, down the mountain. I went first, followed immediately by Dan. Dan picked up much more speed than I did and ran into me. Dan grabbed my legs and in effect created a two man penguin slide. The combined force of the two of us greatly increased our acceleration and soon we were going at a pace much faster than we had anticipated. As we made our way down number 8 at a speed probably around 30-35 mph, I stuck my arms out in front of me to slow us down, yet all this did was knock a bunch of snow into my face. About halfway down the mountain, Dan began to recite the few parts of the Hail Mary in German that he knew; after all it was the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes that day.

We eventually came to a stop and began to laugh uncontrollably, and praised the Lord for sparing our lives despite our intentional endangering of them. I checked to make sure that all of my body parts were still intact. The Austrian skiers around us all laughed at our American foolishness, yet I like to think they were secretly admiring our bravery and accomplishment of conquering the mountain. A priest back on main campus once said to me, “You know Greg, one day you are going to regret the things you do.” I’m beginning to see his point, however this was a matter of dignity, a matter of showing this mountain who was boss. We risked it all to conquer this Alpine slope, and came away with sweet victory. Yet we have more than just victory, we have a memory of the good times we spent defying human logic in the Alps together.

Skiing & Prague: The Blessings Continue

A blog post by Dan McNally, Spring 2011

Dear Parents, friends, & family, our semester continues at breakneck speed.

My week has been so full of grace and blessings, I can hardly contain myself! During the week we study hard and come closer through study, prayer, and fun together. All of this makes time move so quickly, I can barely keep track of what is going on anymore. Suddenly the week is through, and we're off on another adventure.

This weekend students had a few options provided by the school, both of which I took advantage. The first was a ski trip to the Hochkar ski resort about fifty minutes from Gaming in the Austrian Alps. We drove up through the mountains just to reach the lodge. Once there, looking up the slopes takes one's breath away. The mountain range surrounding the park cannot be compared to anything I've seen before. From the top of the highest ski lift, I literally snowboarded out of a cloud. My ears popped while I was on the ski lift. I could see for miles, and the whole distance was filled with blue, snow-covered behemoths. It was incredible. I will never forget the feeling of riding down into that valley. I even had a little goofy fun with a friend of mine. Nothing unsafe, fear not! My friend Greg and I penguin slid down the

steepest slope on our bellies, and it was probably the most fun I had all day. It was a safe, straight shot down, and we plummeted at speeds

I don't even want to imagine, but we survived, laughed, and were laughed at by the locals once we reached the bottom. It was a joy.

After a full day of very exhausting but unprecedented excitement for this semester, we hopped on the bus and headed back. Waiting for us was a warm and delicious dinner in the Mensa. Being that it was the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we prayed a rosary in our adoration chapel and celebrated the Mass soon after our rosary. It also happened to be my birthday, and I can tell you, Jesus and His Mother are the best people you could ever hope to spend a birthday with, and our Lord gave me the gift of Himself in the Eucharist.

The next day, we were up bright and early for our bus ride to Prague!

After very little free time this week to research information on the city, very little sleep, and not knowing the language, I felt understandably lost at the start. We were fortunate to find many amazing sights, including the statue of the Infant of Prague. The city was full of beauty in its history, architecture, and European charm.

Our group even climbed up what was once a spy tower, with much of the old technology still in it. We stopped at one particular restaurant called the crème Caffe di Balcone, which I will always recommend. I spent lunch there with our group, and for little more than seven euro,I was served a three course meal including a hot lentil and sausage soup, grilled pork with a succulent green pepper sauce and some appetizing, flavorful potatoes, and a creamy, fluffy chocolate mousse.

This description may sound corny and exaggerative, but every word is true. It was one of the best meals I've had all semester and also one of the most affordable. I was so pleased with my meal that I returned for hot chocolate with another group who wanted dinner. Whenever I saw a group that I knew pass by, I would run outside to call them in. It was quite the experience. Night drew upon us quickly, and we loaded back onto our bus.

This morning, Mass was celebrated in honor of all married couples. The

Kartause families were invited to come forward for a blessing. Seeing the parents look at their children the way they did, and seeing this love reciprocated was so touching. I praised God for letting such love exist in the world. I thought of my own parents, and how much of a blessing they have been in my life, and on behalf of all the students, I want to thank you parents who are reading for your dedication to our education, to our happiness, and to our spiritual growth. We love you and appreciate all you do for us. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Now we prepare for another hard week of study, until we load the buses for Poland on Thursday night. Please keep us in your prayers, as this weekend will be very trying physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Of course, you will all be in mine. God bless you!

Peace in Christ,

Dan McNally