A recent article in The Washington
Post, where democracy goes to die in darkness and lies, opened by waxing idyllic
about ice rinks in Minnesota. The kids, the bonfires, the warming
houses, the hockey, the romance.
All being destroyed by climate change. Of course. Knew there had to be a
reason for the article about ice rinks in Minnesota. Which are soon to go the
way of the dinosaur (also killed off by man-made climate change!)
The Post: “But climate change is
threatening the future of the city’s [Minneapolis] rinks. Local officials say
warmer winters and unpredictable weather are forcing them to reassess the high
price tag of this beloved winter tradition.”
“Unpredictable weather?!” Egads!
That’s a new thing! Weather has heretofore always been so predictable…so
constant! Summer, winter, night, day, everywhere, forever!
The Post: “It takes at least a month
of watering the ground 14 hours a day to create the base of the rinks. Once the
ice is four inches thick, it has to be sprayed with water daily to keep the
surface smooth. But last year, the warmest on record in Minnesota, all the
rinks turned to slush after just eight days of mediocre skating in January.
That abbreviated season cost the city $887,646 in staff time, said Robin
Smothers, spokesperson for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.” I don’t
want to quibble here, as last winter was incredibly warm overall, but there
were 16 consecutive days in January where the temperature never got above
freezing, six of which had official lows below zero.
The Post: “Facing a budget shortfall,
the city didn’t bother to open two of its rinks this winter. The weather has
been colder, making the ice easier to maintain, but temperatures have spiked
twice already this season, forcing some rinks to temporarily close, park
officials said.” You’ve got to be kidding me. This winter has been cold. We
just came through a lengthy stretch of way-below-zero weather. “Temperatures
have spiked twice already.” In late February? That is not at all
uncommon, probably less than in an average winter. Due to the angle of the sun,
rinks have historically petered out in mid-February, even in Minnesota.
Again, The Post: “’Ideally, the rinks
open in time for public schools’ holiday break in mid-December,’ said Jeremy
Barrick, assistant superintendent for Environmental Stewardship for the
Minneapolis Parks. ‘It met that goal this year for the first time in eight
years, but that doesn’t guarantee a smooth season,’ he said. ‘The climate has
definitely impacted that,’ he said. The climate has always impacted everything
since, oh, the beginning of time.
One more time, The Post: “Average
winter temperatures have been rising between 5 and 7 degrees for decades, and
there are 10 to 14 fewer days per year of ice cover on the state’s thousands of
lakes, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota’s
average temperature in December, January and February in 2020 was 18 degrees.
In 2024, it was 24 degrees, according to department data.”
I don’t even know where to start on
this one, it is so poorly worded. And reasoned. “Average winter temperatures
have been rising between 5 and 7 degrees for decades?” Every decade? Over how
many decades? Between 5 and 7 degrees? So, the temps haven’t risen continually
over time? “Minnesota’s average temperature in December, January and February
in 2020 was 18 degrees. In 2024, it was 24 degrees.” That’s 4 years apart!
Nothing can be gleaned from that. The average temperature for those months this
year is going to be significantly colder than last year. The average
temperatures in those months in some past years were significantly warmer.
And the Minnesota DNR’s alleged
assertion that “there are 10 to 14 fewer days per year of ice cover on the
state’s thousands of lakes” is, at minimum, out of context. The lake I
frequent, in the central part of the state, tracks with most of the state’s
lakes in terms of ice-out dates. 15 out of the past 22 years, the ice-out date
has been later than the historical average of April 21. That’s 68% of
ice-outs in the past two+ decades that have been later than normal. Last year
was the earliest ever, but the two years prior to that, the ice didn’t go out
until May 4th and 6th, respectively. In 2013, the ice did
not go out until May 15th, several days after the fishing opener!
It was eerie, surreal. There was no traffic, no boats, and few people in the
area, when usually it is a madhouse of fisherman desperate to get out and shake
off cabin fever.
The article noted that Minneapolis may
not open up as many rinks in the future, and that the city is facing a “budget
shortfall.” Don’t get me started on why the city is allegedly facing a “budget
shortfall.” That is complete bullshit. The idea that the city won’t open rinks
due to global warming/climate change is also complete bullshit. Demographic
change in certain areas has far more to do with it. You see, most North
Africans and Middle Easterners don’t skate, and certainly don’t come from a
hockey tradition.
If “The State of Hockey” someday is no
more, don’t blame “climate change.”
As usual, the fault would lie with
progressive asshats. There are more than enough of those in Minnesota. And,
unfortunately, they won’t be going away any time soon.