Mirror Lake

Tucked between a few buildings on the South Oval of Ohio State’s campus, is a lake (pond) which turns into a wonderful event every year around the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. Mirror Lake Jump!

Before the creation of Ohio State University, a spring fed pond provided William Neil, a well-known Columbus entrepreneur, with fresh drinking water. The land was later purchased by Ohio State, but the spring, unfortunately, dried up during when construction in the area blocked the source of water. The school then created a pond in the same vicinity as the original, and Mirror Lake has been around ever since.

As tradition goes, every Tuesday before the OSU vs. Mich game, students will run over to the lake and jump in. Since 1918, the two teams have played each other at the end of November, making for some chilly water at Mirror Lake. Now, you might be asking yourself why do students jump into the freezing water by choice? It has been said that if students jump into Mirror Lake before the great rivalry, the spirit of Woody Hayes will help the Buckeyes to beat the Wolverines.

Rumors around campus will tell you that students have been jumping into the lake since the mid-60s, many years before the death of the great OSU football coach Woody Hayes. Leading most to agree that students jumping into the lake will find any reason to do so. The most commonly known and accepted starting year for the jump was 1990 when the athletic director, Jim Jones led a group of students down to the lake.

                                       

Thousands of students show up to the lake, jump in the frigid water, get lost from their friends, slip and fall in the mud, and run back home to their home to take a warm shower. All for good luck that upcoming Saturday. Whether or not the myth holds true, Mirror Lake night has typically been away for Ohio State students to show their school spirit.

Go Buckeyes!

Erix Infante

Sources: 

http://www.univdistcol.com/VVMirrorLake.html

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/10/ohio_state_ending_mirror_lake.html