BETHEL – Combine a snow-covered golf course, SAD 44 students and mentors, recycled materials, and a dash of zaniness, and the makings for a lot of fun emerge.

That’s what occurred at Saturday’s fourth annual Great Snowbox Derby at the Bethel Inn and Country Club’s first tee.

With the help of community members, several Woodstock and Crescent Park school students from grades three through five built and raced their own sleds down a 100-yard banked course, vying for the fastest time in three heats.

Among the 11 entrants were:

• A realistic-looking, snow-worthy pirate ship – Curse of the Keane – named after teacher Marie Keane, which was manned by her fifth-grade class at Crescent Park. It took Best Decorated honors, winning a pizza party at The Matterhorn.

• The Corvette that Could, a little red sports coupe on skis, operated by Shirley Merrill’s third-graders from Crescent Park.

• The Junkyard June Bugs, a Woodstock School entry from Elaine Ferland’s fourth-graders that won the Best Team Effort prize of snow tubing at Mount Abram Ski Area.

• Finding Nemo, complete with riders in costume from Mike Ort’s fifth-grade class at Crescent Park.

• The Loonsters, a giant, elongated loon, complete with snapping beak and rolling eyes, that took Fastest Sled honors for Kasey Jerome’s fourth-graders at Crescent Park.

The sled and its riders on the last heat – James Lowell, Mary Brown, Ellie Cramton, and Matthew Braley – posted the second fastest time of 28.68 seconds.

The “Boom Box” riders from Karen Wilson’s fifth-grade class at Woodstock School took the top time in their third heat of 28.41 seconds, but lost in a tiebreaker run-off with the Loonsters.

Their speeding sled, which lost its giant black boom box speakers in a first heat crash, clipped the snowbank on the last curve, spilling its riders.

That’s when the Loonster team, which posted a runoff time of 28.59 seconds, erupted into excited cheers and congratulatory hugs.

“We won! We won!” they shouted before doing a victory dance that ended on the snow in a tangled heap of snowsuits, mittens and boots.

Crescent Park teacher Lori Davis’ fourth-graders grabbed the funniest sled honors with their Davis’ Devils sled, which corkscrewed down the course, yawing from side to side.

Eileen Steck’s fourth-grade class at Crescent Park won the most original and creative award for its Freedom Fighters sled, which sported helmeted pupils in camouflage garb waving American flags.

Other sleds included Mrs. K’s Munchkins, by Crescent Park teacher Linda Kuzyk’s fifth-grade class; the Coolidge Cruiser, by Crescent Park teacher Judy Coolidge’s third-graders; and Jumping Jelly Beans, by Crescent Park instructor Jason Manjourides’s third-grade class.

Just about everyone remarked about the banked course created by Roger Smith and Mike Cooper of the Bethel Inn Nordic Center. Its walls were banked in the right places to keep sledders on the course.

Co-organizer Steve Wight said the purpose of the derby is to bring adults into the classrooms and give students exposure to adults who are not their teachers or parents.

The derby also teaches the youths design concepts while giving them hands-on experience with tools and creating something fun from recycled materials.

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