Fraters Libertas

Cold Enough For You?

To set the record straight, I wasn't whining about the cold when I expressed my views on winter attire.

It was a cold day yesterday. But that didn't prevent me from heading down to my neighborhood park and skating under the moonlight for a good forty minutes last night. I like winter and get out and enjoy it every chance I get.

And I'm well aware that the winters in North Dakota are much harsher than in Minneapolis. I spent five years in Grand Forks and learned the real meaning of wind chill for the first time in my life. I was living there back in the late 80's-early 90's when the governor of North Dakota took the unprecedented step of shutting down EVERY school in the state--including the University of North Dakota (a school which I'm proud to say has not offered a fellowship to Jesse Ventura)-- for a couple of days because of temps in the negative twenties and thirties and ridiculous wind chills (eighty to ninety below). I lived in a house off-campus with four other guys and we were basically stranded for a week, since not one of our cars would start in the deep freeze. We had to battle the elements daily in order to walk to the liquor store (we weren't going to class-we had to do something). It was a wintry hell.

I also know about the cold weather toughness of the natives in North Dakota. For two years I coached youth hockey in Grand Forks and we often practiced outside. The only conditions under which practice would be cancelled was if the actually temp was below zero or the wind chill was greater than twenty below. I'm taking kids as young as five here. If it was above zero and not overly windy (which in North Dakota means less then 20mph) you were expected to be there. And most of the time the kids were. I learned a couple of things from this experience:

1. They raise some hearty folks up there.

2. A plastic whistle was essential.

It's hard to imagine the over-protective parents of today in Woodbury or Eden Prairie allowing their coddled little urchins to set foot on a hockey rink unless it was at least twenty degrees with calm winds. And not too much sun. Those UV rays can be harmful. And if Seth's allergies are acting up he can't stay outside very long. And...

Mitch is correct that many Minnesotans do whine about the cold. It's just that I ain't one of 'em.