High school sculptors put their skills to the test

Team captain Julie Fry from Rolling Meadows will be attempting a wolf at the fourth annual Chicago Snow Sculpting Competition this week in Mount Prospect.

The attempt should be much better than her first when she was a freshman. It was the teen's first crack at it, so her team brought a shovel and an ice pick, but none of the other professional cutting and polishing tools, she said.

"We had to keep borrowing tools from the pro teams," Fry said.

Fry will have to be good this year if she wants to place at all. The high school competition has grown and 12 teams will be vying for the top prize.

Competitors from Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Conant, Fremd, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Marengo and Vanguard high schools will be sculpting this week for the contest.

This year's high school competition will be the largest in the contest's four-year history.

In years past, there were about six to seven teams, but now some schools are sending two teams each, said Fran Volz, president of Snow Visions, which heads up the competition.

One difference between the adult and teen competition is the size of the snow blocks. The adult blocks will be 10 feet high, while the teens blocks will stand six feet. Also, the kids are competing for bragging rights and medals, but the adults are competing for prize money.

Fremd High School, which won first place two out of the three years, will be returning.

Fremd will stick by what has always gotten them awards, which is working with playful themes for their snow sculptures, said Jeremy Malinowski, who is the team adviser and art teacher.

Last year, the school won for a plucky monkey hanging from a branch, while the year before the team sculpted a pig balancing on its snout.

This year, the teens will be carving a lobster lounging in a pot of hot water like it was in a Jacuzzi, Malinowski said.

All the students on the Fremd team have taken Malinowski's three-dimensional design class. The team has been meeting at 7 a.m. at the school for weeks in preparation for the contest, he said.

"I feel like we have a very strong team … but the competition will be stiff," Malinowski said.

High school sculptors

Following are high school teams followed by the title of their sculpture and the team members. Proposed sketches from all the teams can be viewed at www.snowvisions.com.

Buffalo Grove High School, Griffin: Anna Karwowska, Daniel Betsios, Justina Babinska, Cuong Nguyen; adviser Julie Bale

Conant High School, Just Dessert: Brianne Sochacki, Jon Rapp, Katherine Liner, James Samargis; adviser Erin Garrity

Conant High School, Shark Attack: Jeff Gordon, Colin McDaniel, Don Dopka, Garrett Luzcak; adviser Justin Bickus

Fremd High School, The Great Escape: K Thomas Wall, Daniel Klaisner, Jaclynn Macek, Emily Smietana; adviser: Jeremy Malinowski

Marengo High School, Ouroboros: David Stout, Nicole Johnson, Jessica Beaudoin, Liz Coffey; adviser Bob Pomykala

Marengo High School, Fallen Angel: Brianna Viktora, Rosa Ortega, Stephanie Guerra, Eryn Cisneros; adviser Bob Pomykala

Palatine High School, Alice in Wonderland: Kevin Finger Susy Garcia, Katerina Walker, Ashley Griffith, Lindsey Garrett, Norma Ochoa; adviser Russ Horvath

Palatine High School, Shark and Fish: Paul Butlita, Aaron Johnson, Sarah Benson, Lauren Gaeding, Jennifer Haare, Michal Ojrzanowski; adviser Nick Hostert

Rolling Meadows High School, Wolf: Julie Fry, Hanna Fry, Gary Fritz, James Bingaman; adviser Bobbi Fry

Schaumburg High School, Paint the Town: Yessenia Busurto, Wesley Grace, Sam D'Andrea, Domenic D'Andrea; adviser Gerry James

Vanguard School, Watch My Feet: Stephanie Murzyn, Tommy Bahumes, Amber Wren, Kyle Stortenbecker; adviser Natalie DeMeo

Vanguard School, On Thin Ice: Art Dlugopolski, Matt McDonald, K.T. Webb, Tony Soto; adviser Natalie DeMeo