<p>So it’s a winter afternoon, and my mind turns to traying–that notorious college sport that has no leagues and certainly no athletic scholarships. In a random conversation with a friend this morning, we both recalled our fond memories of sailing down a snowy hill on a cafeteria tray–she was in Wisconsin, I was in Massachusetts, and we are the same age so we may have done this simultaneously, though we didn’t know each other then. It amazes me that my posterior even fit on a cafeteria tray, and it further amazes me that I launched myself and said tray from the top of a really, really high hill (with a stunning view, by the way), laughing and shrieking all the way down. I’m still alive, and not damaged in any way, and my mother never had to know. It was such glorious, hilarious fun on those cold, blue-skied New England winter afternoons. Traying memories, anyone?</p>
<p>Oh yes, from what we called “Mount Oberlin.” The Ohio landscape was flat as a pancake, but there was some kind of landfill that made a little “bump” we called a “mountain.” Good enough for days like today.</p>
<p>Tres fun.</p>
<p>Best of all was listening to peals of joy from students with homestates California, Texas, Mississippi, Arizona…</p>
<p>Went to college in Mass., grew up in Upstate NY, and I never heard of traying. But then I always did my best to avoid being out in the cold.</p>
<p>Like this?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news.wisc.edu/14552[/url]”>http://www.news.wisc.edu/14552</a></p>
<p>that looks awesome</p>
<p>Let’s see - yuppers - I did it in college in VT - My guy in VA - my gal in NC LOL - we are a traying family 
- and shovel riders too LOL - nothing like whooshing down a hill doing a balancing act on a little piece of plastic - of course my guy snatched my cookie sheets to do it LOL - cardboard works well too ;)</p>
<p>Highly recommended for those who have never seen snow - and all of a sudden campus is just covered with that fun - and wet - white stuff - best experience ever :D</p>
<p>Yes!!! Freshman year we would stick the cafeteria trays up the backs of our shirts in the dining hall to smuggle them out.</p>
<p>well, while us Texans couldn’t exactly ‘tray’, we found our own methods of madness. On a hot summer night, we’d go buy a few blocks of ice, go to Hermann Park in Houston where there actually is a little hill, sit on the block of ice, and glide down the hill as if we were in Colorado in January.</p>
<p>Oh, absolutely!!! We went traying on all the hills around Ann ARbor.</p>
<p>And my D went traying on the hill in the center of her campus, and my S, on a city campus, trayed down the library steps (and i believe in Central Park, too!)</p>
<p>I recall memos at the end of spring term: “Could students please return trays to the cafeteria.” Yes, trays were used for sledding; and I recall having to walk up hill to class in the snow.:)</p>
<p>Trays for snow? I don’t know about that, but we used them for bodysurfing in Southern California. Water should be liquid – not solid.</p>
<p>I grew up in NYC. We used to do it on lids of metal garbage pails with the handles smashed down.</p>
<p>Yes, at Colgate.
Maybe daughter will get to do it at Cornell this winter:</p>
<p><a href=“http://youtube.com/watch?v=sE-Gu3-DjT0[/url]”>http://youtube.com/watch?v=sE-Gu3-DjT0</a></p>
<p>Shovels work well also :D</p>
<p>At Princeton it rarely snowed. When it did, yes, trays. The only suitable hill was on the golf course:). And you wonder where the school gets its elitist reputation…However, there was much non-elitist whooping and hollering.</p>
<p>Safer than our New England pastime.</p>
<p>To “pogey” was to grab onto the rear bumper of a car or bus going down a slippery, snow-covered street, and kind of surf along behind it in a crouching …</p>
<p><a href=“Dictionary of American Regional English: P-Sk - Frederic G. Cassidy - Google Books”>Dictionary of American Regional English: P-Sk - Frederic G. Cassidy - Google Books;
<p>JeepMom - ROFL!!! Shovels and cardboard boxes, too!</p>
<p>Yup, traying was very popular at Williams. I think the dining hall sometimes put out old trays to be used for traying. I remember going on the hill by Cole Field House.</p>
<p>EREWHON - ooo man - you bring back crazy memories LOL - been there don that too Guilty as charged LOL - dangerous as heck tho - yikes</p>
<p>BUNSENBURNER - of course - anything that will slide works for me LOL - haven’t you ever riden a shovel down a slippery slope - uuummm then you haven’t lived LOL</p>
<p>Secret here - still have my kiddos’s sliders in the shed - they do get used every once in a while LOL - some kids never grow up - ever!! :D</p>
<p>Yep, at SUNY Stony Brook. Cardboard, too,</p>