Traying is a term used
in lieu of "
sledding" at many
college campuses. The reason is equipment-related: lacking funds with which to buy a proper
sled,
students will
swipe a tray from a campus
dining hall to use for the same purpose.
There is much more of an
art to traying than to regular sledding. A sled is built to swiftly descend a snow-covered
hill; a tray is built to carry cups and plates. A person who wants to use the latter item for the former purpose must carefully
balance himself (or rather, his
butt) on the center of the tray and then figure out what to do with his legs. Two options: 1. Holding them straight out; 2. Bending the knees and trying to fit the feet on the edge of the tray.
Regardless of how he is positioned, the person doing the traying has a very small chance of staying on the tray during his entire descent. The
likelihood of facing forward for much of the journey is probably even lower. This is all part of the
fun, though, or at least that's what we college kids
like to tell ourselves.
Though trays are, naturally, the most common piece of equipment used for traying, other items may sometimes end up being used. Included are
cardboard boxes,
mattresses,
garbage bags...and even, on occasion, a
professionally-constructed sled. Even so, "traying" is the regularly-used term -- at least at
my college.