Ohio State has drained Mirror Lake in an attempt to protect its student body of a dangerous tradition prior to their matchup with Michigan.
It’s been a tradition over the last few years to jump into Mirror Lake prior to the team’s annual matchup with the University of Michigan. However, the late-season matchup and tradition has spelled trouble for students in the past.
After all, this upcoming week the temperatures will likely be in the 40s. Jumping into a lake at that temp is just asking for chaos, and Ohio State understands that.
In 2015, a student, participating in the tradition, was killed. This has made Ohio State use an “abundance of caution” as their matchup with Michigan nears.
Here’s the release directly from Ohio State Police on why they made the decision.
Out of an abundance of caution, Mirror Lake has been temporarily drained. Entering the lake/empty basin is destructive, hazardous and considered criminal trespassing. @OSUPOLICE will monitor the area to enhance safety. https://t.co/6TbpM3XwFi pic.twitter.com/bJs7qzaiCA
— OSU Police (@OSUPOLICE) November 22, 2019
The statement, as seen above, notes that the lake will be refilled at a later date. That said, Ohio State clearly wants to promote tradition but not in a way that’s dangerous to their student body.
However, students likely won’t care too much when the Buckeyes march up to Ann Arbor and absolutely demolish their northern rivals.