Following a cancellation last year due to warm weather and thin ice, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) will hold its annual Lily's Classic hockey tournament and fundraiser as normal on Saturday, Feb. 15, according to a post from the fraternity’s Instagram page.
Hundreds of attendees typically gather on a frozen Lake Mendota during Lily’s Classic, raising money through a four-versus-four “boot hockey” tournament to benefit Lily’s Fund, which supports epilepsy research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Boot hockey is similar to traditional ice hockey, but it is played with boots instead of skates and a small ball rather than a puck.
This year, SAE event organizers are cautious but hopeful that Lily’s will go on.
“We’re planning for it to be back to normal as long as the weather is nice,” SAE philanthropy chair Alex Orman told The Daily Cardinal. “If we have to adjust last-minute, we will, but we’re hoping we don’t have to. If the ice is dangerous, we’ll never host it.”
Last year, unseasonably warm temperatures and thin ice forced the fraternity to cancel the event, upsetting students.
“I was disappointed because as a freshman last year, I was really looking forward to it, and it's a big tradition,” UW-Madison sophomore Abby Madonia said. “I'm just happy it’s going on this year.”
Lily’s Classic has grown into more than just a hockey tournament; it’s a reflection of Wisconsin culture and a celebration of winter, students said.
“The unofficial motto of UW-Madison is ‘work hard, play hard.’ To have something to look forward to and have something to actually really enjoy is always good to have,” said Peter Freye, a senior and previous Lily’s Classic attendee.
The weather within the next two weeks will determine whether the event goes forward as planned. And students still need to be cautious if they’re stepping foot on the ice even if Lily’s is able to go on, Assistant Wisconsin State Climatologist Edward J. Hopkins told the Cardinal, pointing to multiple incidents in which people have fallen through the ice in Madison this winter.
“Right along the [edge of the] lake, you have thinner ice because the sunlight can cause the water underneath to warm up a bit,” Hopkins said.
Last Wednesday, an individual fell into Lake Mendota after walking on the ice near Picnic Point. On Jan. 21, a woman fell through ice on Lake Monona after crossing into areas marked off with buoys to warn of warmer water temperatures. Both individuals were transported to local hospitals due to cold exposure concerns.
Hopkins also urged caution as temperatures are expected to fluctuate within the next few weeks.
“This week, we’re going to see above average temperatures, but sometime next week we could get back towards below average temperatures,” he said. “We may maintain the ice currently on Mendota, but you’ve got to be careful on it.”
As of Monday, user-reported data from the Lake Link Fishing Report measured 12 inches of ice on the lake.
Around this time last year, only seven inches of ice remained on the lake. Clean Lakes Alliance Marketing and Communications Director Adam Sodersten said the lakes should have around eight inches of ice to ensure safety, especially with the large crowds expected at events like Lily’s Classic.
“When you have 700 people in a tight area on the lake, then they start behaving like a vehicle because they are distributing their weights in a very small area,” Sodersten said.
While the return of Lily’s Classic is highly anticipated, last year’s cancellation demonstrates the effect of changing weather conditions on beloved events dependent on ice coverage.
Over the past few decades, ice coverage on Lake Mendota has changed dramatically, Hopkins said. Compared to 1971, the duration of ice on Lake Mendota is 26 days fewer, and the ice freezes 15 days later.
“Growing up in Wisconsin, I've had ice freeze every year, so having a year where they canceled it because ice wasn't safe or it wasn't frozen up was kind of shocking,” Madonia said.
