Fleeting Wonders: A Sisyphean Snow Plow Ballet

When there’s a serious football game to be had, sub-zero temperatures and pounding snowfall won’t stop it. 

As snow began to fall onto the Iowa Hawkeyes’ Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City around 6 p.m. last Friday, the ground crew got to work clearing the field for the following day’s football game. Breaking out the snow plow carts, Facilities and Turf Management began piling up the snow and carting it out of the stadium in a Sisyphean attempt to keep the field and stands clear. The process, captured in a time-lapse recording, was hypnotic.

Git er done. (Image: Iowa Hawkeyes Facebook)

As the video shows, as soon as the crew cleared the turf, it was nearly instantly covered with snow again. Dozens of workers manning four plows cleared the field again and again and again, repeating the process at least 12 times throughout the night and into the next day. Meanwhile, up in the stands, single workers with hand shovels worked to keep the stairways clean.

It snowed for around 15 hours straight, dropping a record-breaking seven to nine inches of snow in the region, but by game time Saturday, the field was ready for action. The Hawkeyes faced the Purdue at noon, soundly trouncing the Boilermakers 40-20. It was an exciting win for the team, but it couldn’t have happened without the back-breaking ballet performed by the snow clearing team the night before.

True gridiron heroes. (Image: Iowa Hawkeyes Facebook)

Every day, we track down a fleeting wonder—something amazing that’s only happening right now. Have a tip for us? Tell us about it! Send your temporary miracles to cara@atlasobscura.com.