It almost sounds like something out of an archeology book: Snow falls on the city. Students walking to classes leave footprints in the fresh snow, which freeze the patterns into treacherous ice. The next day the footprints are discovered by an unlucky student. Now for my version.There I was last Friday, happily trotting along toward campus and reveling in thoughts of the fast-approaching weekend. Sure, it was freezing outside and the sidewalk was covered with ice, but hey, I said to myself, I’m a fast walker. I can get there in no time flat. That’s when it happened.Whammo–My feet are flying out from under me, and I’m suddenly kissing the icy pavement and looking for any shards of dignity that might have remained intact. Luckily there weren’t many people around because I was still east of High Street, but I wasn’t alone when the incident took place.This guy walking his dog probably found the scene comical. I’m sure I would have, if I weren’t the comedian involved, but that wasn’t the case. Just wait your turn, pal, I thought in spite.So I stood up and spent a few minutes brushing snow off my coat and trying to pretend nothing had happened.Even though this is sort of funny in retrospect (and I’m stressing ‘sort of’), there are some serious implications of the icy sidewalks around town.I’m sure that people on crutches or with other medical problems which hinder walking find the ice even more hazardous than a healthy pedestrian like me. What do elderly people do when the sidewalks become ice rinks? This is not to say that it’s a special thrill for college-age people to walk around out there, but it has to be much worse for older people. Is the city responsible for clearing sidewalks as well as roads? What if I’d been seriously hurt in executing my coup de grace? I escaped with a few bruises, but I could have broken something of serious importance if I’d landed differently.A smaller problem is that ice slows down the process of getting to class seconds before the bell rings. My routine is set down to the minute, and I really don’t want to sacrifice valuable sleeping time so that I can look like I’m walking a tight rope to campus.I’ve also discovered that navigating campus sidewalks isn’t a lot better than walking in the neighborhood areas. The psychological hazard on campus is that there’s a merciless audience milling around with no qualms about snickering when people start to slide.Slick sidewalks are a problem for everyone. I stare in amazement when I see people on bikes and roller blades zipping over ice I can barely walk on. Maybe I’m jealous because it’s hard for me to accomplish this with dignity. My high school pals didn’t call me ‘Grace’ because of my sure-footedness.So, after several other near-falls around campus, my legs are sore from trying so diligently to walk without slipping, and I wake up dreading the twenty-minute obstacle course to class.
Amanda Appleton is a winter-disenchanted junior majoring in English and journalism from Cincinnati. She is contemplating a minor in spontaneous ice dancing.
