Martin and Sarah Laidlaw Wilde (both ’01) were varsity athletes during their UVM days, but the game that draws a good deal of their focus these days isn’t quite as intense as hockey or alpine skiing. Together, the couple has created and marketed VKing, a lawn game based on a centuries-old Swedish contest.
VQ: Tell me about the origins of the VKing venture. How did the idea to create this game, produce, and market it come to you?
MW: I played this game growing up in Sweden, and while I was at UVM I made a couple of sets for myself and friends to play while we were barbecuing and hanging out in the backyard. Everyone always loved the game and we would get some serious competitions going, but at the time it was just for fun. After graduating I was playing hockey, but knew we wanted to start our own business. I had my summers free and with the positive response I’d gotten from VKing in college it just made sense to build a business around the game. VKing is based on a centuries-old Swedish lawn game which is said to have been played by the Vikings long ago. We wanted to incorporate that history with the quality of a Vermont-crafted product so we came up with VKing. The “V” stands for Vermont and the “King” for the main game piece. Plus, the word “Viking” is pronounced “vking” in Swedish.
VQ: A lot of people have entrepreneurial ideas, but not as many act on them. What was the catalyst that helped you take this from an idea to an actual product?
MW: Since graduating from UVM in 2001 we have lived all over the place while I’ve been playing hockey, but we always came back to Burlington in the summers. We love the area and have made great friends here. I was playing hockey in a men’s league one summer and got to know Frank DeVita, class of ’85, who has his own wood shop in Williston. We were talking about the game and he thought we’d be able to manufacture it using his saws and tools. We talked to numerous people about our idea and we got great, supportive feedback so we decided to go for it. It was important to us to do as much as we could locally, so on top of the manufacturing itself, we also used local sources for our packaging materials and logo and website creation.
VQ: When you played the game as a kid in Sweden did you play it with a set like VKing or other pieces?
MW: There are a few different variations to the game, but the most common and entertaining format is what we based our pieces on and the way we play VKing. We based our rules of play on the game I grew up playing, so I have a slight advantage when someone challenges me to a game. But, to be honest, I still get beat all the time. One of the last people to challenge me was WCAX’s Jack Thurston, and even though I ended up winning I want to give him credit for a very strong effort, it was a really close game.
VQ: What does VKing have to offer that other lawn games don't?
MW: Aside from the fact that it is easy to transport, requires little set up, and is simple to get the hang of, it also offers that people of all ages with a wide range of athletic abilities and strengths can challenge each other and have fun together playing VKing. There is also a level of strategy to the game that makes it even more interesting to play. You can also play it virtually anywhere you have a little bit of space; on grass, sand, snow, gravel and any other surface that is fairly level.
VQ: Change of subject: How is your professional hockey career going in Italy?
MW: We really enjoy our time in Italy and hockey has gone well during my three seasons in the Italian league. During my first season there I won the Italian championship with Cortina d’Ampezzo, which was a great experience. It is a very small town and it was the first championship they had won in thirty-two years, so the celebrations were very cool to be a part of. The only drawback of the celebration was that we didn’t get to hoist the cup on the ice. After winning game six in overtime on the road in Milan, both teams’ fans rushed the ice and in the ensuing commotion the Milan fans managed to steal the cup before it was handed over to us, leaving us to skate a victory lap with the much smaller third place trophy. We still celebrated like champions though.
VQ: What do you enjoy about the balance of living part of your year in Europe and part of it back in Vermont?
MW: We are very fortunate to have spent three winters in the beautiful Italian Dolomites. Sarah, who skied for UVM, was thrilled when we decided to go there and the team offered her a ski pass as part of my contract. We got to travel a ton, see many amazing places, learn a new language and connect with fellow UVMers that are living abroad. It’s also great to be able to come back to our friends and life in Burlington and enjoy the summers in the Green Mountains.
