Mar 04, 2015

The 30th Tuck Winter Carnival

Kat is a second-year student who spent four years as a director at a boutique marketing consulting firm before coming to Tuck. She has used her time at school to transition into brand management, spending this past summer at Colgate-Palmolive in NYC. When not planning TWC2015 (or being sad that it’s over), Kat spends her time playing tripod hockey and skiing in the Upper Valley.

“Skiing & parties & costumes & music & business.” – TWC2015 Saturday Night Party T-Shirt

For the past ten months, five fellow T’15 classmates and I had the honor of organizing the great annual tradition that is Tuck Winter Carnival, now in its 30th year. 

For those who are not familiar with TWC, the Tuck Winter Carnival is an annual extravaganza that brings MBA students from over 15 schools together (650+ people!) to celebrate the winter season in our hometown of Hanover, NH. Unlike case competitions or recruiting fairs, this is a one-of-a-kind inter-collegiate event for MBAs with the sole purpose of enjoying the outdoors and making connections with other students—all while wearing our best neon gear and listening to hits from the 80s. Given our skiing and snowboarding expertise, tolerance for freezing temperatures, and penchant for fun, only the Tuck School of Business could host this kind of event. (At least we think so.)

Leading TWC with my fellow co-chairs has been my most fulfilling, exhilarating role during my two years at Tuck. In a way, the task of planning such a big event requires many of the same skills I will need in my time after Tuck: working closely with a team, managing a staff of volunteers, arranging logistics with external suppliers, sticking to a budget … the list goes on. While we certainly experienced our challenges along the way, there is probably nothing more rewarding for hard work than seeing a sea of neon in the Upper Valley for 48 hours straight—it is a glorious sight. 

Upon receiving countless thank you emails from Tuck students and other schools, and after reviewing the photo and video evidence from the weekend (#twc2015), the TWC co-chairs believe this year’s Carnival was a great success. TWC2015 had many highlights to share:

• Carroll (BC) arrived Friday with (borrowed) authentic BC Hockey jerseys, ready to take on other schools in a game of pick-up hockey on Occom Pond.
• At the 80s Fashion Show & Live Auction on Friday night, over $2K was raised for a local Upper Valley charity. Seven generous attendees are now the proud owners of authentic 80s Ski Gear.
• The Tuck competitive ski team won the Ski Race on Saturday at the Dartmouth Skiway, outpacing strong opposing teams from Babson and Columbia—all while dressed as famous WWE wrestlers.
• TWC co-chair Chris White entertained the crowd at the Saturday Slopeside Lodge party by dancing to the tunes of DJ Andrew Allison T’15 … in a bear suit.
• A hungry MIT Sloan representative won the annual hot dog eating contest by impressively devouring seven jumbo hot dogs in three minutes.
• The Tuck A and Tuck B teams faced off in the final round of the Kneisel Cup, a challenge that pits teams of six from each school against each other in a tournament-style, no-guts, no-glory (non-alcoholic) boat race. With TWC2014 veterans on their squad, it was no surprise that the Tuck A team took home the championship.
• At the après-ski celebration party on Saturday night, the Tuck Band brought down the house, playing everything from TSwift to Chumbawamba. TWC co-chair Matt Prescottano won over the hearts of many with a ridiculous “Free Bird” guitar solo.

A big thanks to the other MBA programs who traveled near and far to get to the Upper Valley to party with us: Babson, Booth, Carroll (BC), Columbia, Cornell Johnson, Darden, Fuqua, Haas, HBS, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, NYU Stern, Tepper, Wharton, and Yale SOM. One of the best things about TWC is the camaraderie across different schools that ensues over the course of the weekend (despite some healthy competition along the way), and the connections that continue well beyond the event.

Perhaps most importantly, the weekend would not have been possible without the spirit of the Tuck community. The welcoming, generous, and friendly culture that Tuck is known for was certainly apparent in interactions throughout the weekend. It is because of our students, staff, and volunteers that we are able to share the uniqueness of our Tuck experience with other MBA students through TWC. We undoubtedly showed our visitors what they are missing out on!

The TWC2015 Co-Chairs are psyched to select next year’s committee. Only 11 months and 21 days until TWC2016!

TWC2015 Co-Chairs:

Kat Amato T’15
Joe DeBonis T’15
Adam Hewson T’15
Ewa Kisilewicz T’15
Matt Prescottano T’15
Chris White T’15