2021 University of Okoboji Winter Games

[mahatmakanejeeves]

The tires on the dirt bikes are equipped with screws or spikes, for traction on the ice.

Coming up, the Polar Plunge.

Jumping into that icy pond? No thanks.

In the last two pictures, you can see a woman jumping in, with people waiting patiently in line for their turn, as a previous jumper walks off in the background with no blanket to keep him warm and dry.

I guess they were raising money for something.

2021 Winter Games

Saturday, January 30, 2021
Photos by Matt Heinirichs, Seth Boyes and Dave Petrick

Some events had to be called off, and some events had to be changed, but nothing could stop the fun of the annual University of Okoboji Winter Games over the weekend. Many of the staple events returned for another year and a number of new happenings made their Winter Games debut during the 41st annual games. There was no shortage of fun on or off the ice as teams competed for bragging rights and families enjoyed some of the less strenuous activities Winter Games had to offer.

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[progressoid]

1. It's quite an event.

I think some of the money goes to the local volunteer fire dept. In fact, the fire dept is there to help people who do the plunge.

I've never done the polar plunge but I have been in Okoboji just after the ice melted in the spring. It was COOOLD. It literally took my breath away.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I should point out that I was one of the ones taken in.

I had thought that it was a failing school that had been taken over by a religious sect.

Nope.

University of Okoboji

The University of Okoboji is a fictional university in the state of Iowa in the United States of America. The university was the creation of three brothers in the early 1970s, who printed T-shirts with an "official" school crest. The word "Okoboji" refers to several lakes, and to the town of Okoboji, in the Iowa Great Lakes region that are popular recreational destinations.

The university is home of the "undefeated" (albeit nonexistent) Fighting Phantoms.

It is common among those claiming to be alumni to display university decor, such as car decals and T-shirts without informing unsuspecting out-of-staters that the university is not real. The name is now used in connection with several annual fund-raising events for charity, including bike rides, a marathon, and a winter games competition. A local radio station, KUOO, has joined in the joke and refers to itself as the "campus radio".