Norden  Folk  Programming
                   
Beaver Creek Retreat
2004      More Photos



   In a surprise upset at the Annual Scandinavian Retreat, the men were soundly trounced in the "manly" sport of yxkastning (ax throwing).  Anna Poganski, from California (via Gustavus), admits to helping her father and brothers with the wood chores at home; she swept the field with her prize-winning style.  Bjorn Gangness, from Duluth (via Gustavus), led the male contingent right up until Anna...reluctant to even bother flinging the iron, was persuaded by friends to try her hand.  Unlucky for Bjorn and good for the ladies...Anna took away first place.
   Showing true Viking grit and determination., Anna proved to be both the first contest winner and the first female to capture a first place title.  Thus, Anna made Scandinavian sporting history in Norden Folk's first time event.  Bjorn didn't fare so badly in second, taking away another prize in the sparkloppet.
   Norden Folk added this fun event for he-men and he-women (pardon the terms) this year and it proved to be as much excitement as the kicksled races.
     How it works: we set up two targets so there's plenty of time for everyone to have some fun.  Contestants get one practice throw to gauge their windage and elevation then throwing twice more, they choose the better of the two throws....and yes, the ax does turn one full loop on the way to the target.
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Yoiking to Friends & Foe
 
   Yoiking, the singing/chanting tradition of Scandinavia's indigenous Sami (Laplanders) of northern Scandinavia, is the process of creating and singing a unique song about something, or someone.  The completed yoik then belongs to the subject, forever and can change throughout the subject's lifetime as he or she matures.  2004 ASF Visiting lecturer, Krister Stoor offered attendees excellent insight into how the Sami defied ice and traveled north to the Nordic region.
   Students also got a cool demonstration from Krister and tried their own hand at singing a yoik.  How to kill a bear and blame it on someone else, or how to really harm your Sami adversary  by  yoiking away his transport animal (reindeer) herd.  Gruesome stuff for the light headed.
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Sparkstottingar--kicksleds
Again this year, the sparkloppet (kicksled race) held strong student interest.   Cautioned that the race could be won or lost in the far turn, students paired off the the runs.
   Because so many faculty perfected their kicking style last year, we had to disqualify these "ringers" from winning any of this year's prizes.  We also found some "expert" visitors from Scandinavia who turned in unbelievable finish times.  We wondered if they even bother using a car at home, they 'sparked' so well.  Anyway, they followed faculty in the excluded category.
   After all the exclusions, Bjorn Gangeness, a Duluth resident and second place winner in the yxkastning, swept the field with the healthiest kick of them all---go Gustavus!

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Headline:  Ladies best men...winning ax throwing event at Beaver Creek 2004!

Conjuring a yoik to the king of the forest takes no small imagination, as Krister Stoor proved when he demonstrated his  Sami style.
What is Beaver Creek About?

   Every year in February, students and faculty from many universities converge on the Beaver Creek Nature Reserve in rural Fall Creek Wisconsin to talk about Scandinavia.  In 2004, 62 students/faculty along with 19 musicians and coordinators from Norden Folk mixed it up for three days.  One of the primary purposes of the annual Scandinavian Retreat (Feb 13-15) is for faculty and students from different institutions to meet informally and capitalize on the opportunity to seriously consider the future of their field of interest: Scandinavian Studies.
   "We seldom have such opportunity for brainstorming inter-institutionally and inter-generationally and we seldom take advantage of it," touts this year's organizer, RolandThorstenson, professor at Gustavus Adolphus in Minnesota.  Each year, a different university takes the leadership in organizing the event.  Norden Folk supplement the program with student activities and some entertainment.
   "We wanted to learn a little from each other, talk about what works well at our respective institutions and dream about what makes up a good Scandinavian Studies program for the present and the near future."
    This year's theme was: Who are the Nordic People today?
   As many attendees knew, the Nordic population is not as homogeneous today as it was only thirty years ago.
   Discussion centered about how (past culturally isolated) Nordic countries are dealing with the influx of people from different cultures around the world , including assimilation,  integration, pluralism, racism and xenophobia.
   Studying in Scandinavia or studying the world while in Scandinavia, offered students opportunities to discuss their experiences while being a minority, themselves, in Scandinavia.  Common talk centered around what it takes to become more integrated, what the obstacles are and what it's like to be an American student in Norden right now.
  On another level, students spoke of: what was the year/semester like?  How easy/difficult was it to learn a Nordic language?  What kinds of questions about the USA did you get while living in Scandinavia?  How did you counter them?
   It was pointed out that Scandinavians/Europeans stereotype Americans.  How would you, yourself, now stereotype the Icelanders, Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Finns?   What are these stereotypes based on?