No Sledding on Capitol Hill, Despite Congresswoman's Request

Despite a request from D.C.'s congresswoman, there will be no sledding on Capitol Hill during the snowstorm expected to sock the D.C. area tomorrow.

The Capitol Police Board issued a statement late Wednesday that said it would not grant Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton's request to allow sledding.

In a statement, Frank Larkin, chairman of the Capitol Police Board, said, "for security reasons, the Capitol grounds are not your typical neighborhood hill or playground."

The statement also said it was the job of Capitol Police to protect the Capitol grounds from being damaged. And, read the statement, sledding isn't that safe, anyway.

"According to recent media reports, at least 20,000 sledding injuries occur in the U.S. each year," Larkin's statement read.

Wednesday, Norton had asked for a one-time waiver of the ban.

"This could be the last snowstorm the D.C. area gets this winter, and may be one of the best for sledding in years," Norton said in a statement. "Children and their parents should able to enjoy sledding on one of the best hills in the city.

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"Have a heart, Mr. Larkin," Norton wrote, "a kid’s heart, that is.”

Playing on Capitol Hill in the snow is a goal of many kids in the District. During a late February snow, News4's Tom Sherwood got tweets from a skier who managed to hang on the Hill long enough to capture a video. That same skier later tweeted Tom that a "sad boy" had just been turned away from the tempting, pristine powder.

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