It’s nice to know that some
traditions never die.
All the snow we received this week has
allowed people to get into the swing of the many winter sports
available around here. I know people who’s gone skiing, I’ve
talked to people who’ve gone snow shoeing, and I see a place where
people can go sledding.
In fact, I people still sled down the
very hill I used to sled down when I was a kid.
Back when I was just a kid (you know,
back in the 1860s) I used to live on Norway Avenue in Marquette,
three blocks away from Whitman School. I went that school the first
six years of my academic life, and like many kids, I also used to
haul my sled there and swoosh down the hill behind the school. At
the time, it seemed like one of the biggest hills in Marquette; you
could tell because you had a thrilling ride down it and a looooong
walk up it.
Anyway, Whitman’s no longer a school
but a part of NMU. And the baseball field at the bottom of the hill
where your sled would end up is now a parking lot. So imagine my
surprise when, while running up Fair Street past the hill this
morning, I saw a sign that NMU had posted, a sign that (basically)
says you can't sled down it during business hours. Other than that,
you're free to fly down it.
Wow. After 140 years, they still use
the hill for sledding. I have to admit, while I was a little
surprised, I was also glad to see it. I know I had a lot of fun
going up & down that hill (well, mostly going down) and it’s
nice to see that the tradition continues. And I actually think that
kids may have a slightly better sledding experience these days.
After all, there’s not a fence stopping you at the bottom of the
hill, a fence that used to be around the old baseball field. Now you
can just slide into the parking lot, at least as far as the snow will
allow you.
Just for kicks, I stopped for a second
and stood at the top of the hill, and as with many things we remember
from our childhood, the hill itself was no longer daunting. It’s
not quite as high or as steep as I remember, but that’s okay. I’m
sure that, to the kids sledding down it, it’s just as high and as
steep as they can handle.
Hopefully, the tradition carries on.
Hopefully, one of the kids sledding down the hill this past weekend
will be running past it in, oh, 2045, notice a whole new generation
of kids going down the hill on their hover-sleds, and realize that
while the times and the technologies change, the fun, the hill--and
the tradition--never will.
On that note, have yourself a great
weekend. If you have the chance and the intestinal fortitude, get
out there and sled down a hill a few times just for fun!
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