by Steven Wright
news@thenewsleaders.com
One of the coldest Ice Bowls in history is in the books. More than 75 participants bundled up for the 24th annual St. Cloud Ice Bowl last Saturday in St. Joseph. The 25-hole disc-golf tournament at Millstream Park brought together players from all over central Minnesota who raised more than $6,000 for the St. Joseph Food Shelf. The Ice Bowl received numerous pledges and donations from participants, friends and family, as well as local businesses.
John Grether of St. Cloud has played in all 24 Ice Bowls and wasn’t deterred by the sub-zero temps on Saturday.
“Wear synthetic,” Grether said. “Don’t wear cotton because it will get wet and you’ll freeze to death.”
The Ice Bowl has a unique way of capitalizing on frigid temperatures to help benefit local charities. A “whine tax” is instituted, which charges competitors $1 every time they complain about the cold weather. Some proactive golfers acknowledged the inevitable whining that was sure to come and tossed in a few dollars before the tournament even began. Grether said he wouldn’t be doing much fussing about the weather this year, especially since he’s experienced more than two decades of frigid January Ice Bowls.
“We had one year where it was 29 degrees below zero and 40 inches of snow,” Grether said. “You can play disc golf year-round, but not everybody comes out in the dead of winter to throw discs around in the snow.”
The weather was definitely a concern for tournament-goers as temps dipped under 6 degrees below zero and close to 24 below zero with the wind chill.
Cody Parsons of Sauk Rapids has been the man behind the scenes organizing the event for the past two years. He jumped in to help when long-time organizer Rick Rentz stepped down three years ago. Parsons, who has toured around the United States competing in various disc golf tournaments, also holds a position as president of the St. Cloud Disc Golf Club. Parsons works with local members of the club to maintain current disc golf courses and improve the game in central Minnesota.
“It was a big feat to take over,” Parsons said.
He spent the entire year leading up to this year’s Bowl planning the event and helping to raise money for the St. Joseph Food Shelf.
“I love how everybody gets together and how involved they get with raising money for charity,” Parsons said.
Last year’s Ice Bowl was almost 50 degrees warmer and saw a record 122 participants raise an astonishing $9,442 for local charities.
“Fundraisers are a big thing for disc golfers,” Parsons said. “They like to get together, have a good time and raise some money for a good cause.”
The first Ice Bowl in central Minnesota was held in 1993 at Riverside Park in St. Cloud and has since raised more than $150,000 for various local and national charities.
The Ice Bowl helps fight hunger on a national level every January and February each year, with some disc golfers playing in states with very little ice, like Florida and California. The ultimate mission of the Ice Bowl is to raise awareness of disc golf and to help combat hunger on a local and national level. Since the first Ice Bowl in 1987, more than 140,000 players across 3,200-plus events have raised more than $2.5 million for charity. Historically, the Ice Bowl has followed three simple rules: 1. Under no circumstances may an Ice Bowl be canceled or postponed because of weather conditions 2. No wimps or whiners are allowed 3. There are no excuses for not attending. Either be there or be called out as a wimp.
Parsons is already planning for next year’s Ice Bowl and invites anybody who might be interested in playing to come out and give it a try. With five different types of leagues available, there’s a fit for all different skill sets.
“A person who’s never thrown a disc can come out and play and help a good cause,” Parsons said.
More information, including tournament results, can be found on the “St. Cloud Ice Bowl” Facebook page. Donations to the St. Joseph Food Shelf can be made at the Church of St. Joseph, located at the corner of Minnesota Street and College Avenue in St. Joseph.
Weather played a big factor in Saturday’s Ice Bowl, with wind gusts up to 20 mph and temperatures well below zero.
Participants “warm up” before competing in the 24th annual Ice Bowl last Saturday at Millstream Park in St. Joseph.
Disc Golfers gather for a tournament briefing from Ice Bowl organizer Cody Parsons. The Saturday tournament had moe than 75 players competing and raising money for the St. Joseph Food Shelf.
A fully-bundled John Grether of St. Cloud lines up for a putt at the 24th annual Ice Bowl in St. Joseph on Saturday. Grether has competed in all 24 Ice Bowls dating back to 1993.
Players head back to the pavilion to warm up during the Ice Bowl on Saturday. Temperatures in St. Joseph dipped below 6 degrees below zeor with a 24-degree-below windchill.
