/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/873261/grotting.jpg)
Ben Grotting, a former Wisconsin men's hockey player who was known as a fan favorite for his gritty play (and pounding Patrick White), may have officially lost his mind. Grotting has qualified compete this weekend in the Red Bull Crashed Ice down hill races this weekend.
According to a release: "Crashed Ice, a mostly downhill speed skating race full of death-defying drops and sick twists and turns arranged in urban areas, is one of the world's newest high energy winter extreme sports."
Well, that sounds kind of awesome to watch.
"I'm looking forward to getting back on the ice in a high end competition," said Grotting of the opportunity. "Skating was always my strong suit so this event really works into my abilities. I am excited to have the chance to represent BS5 in a new area of extreme sports, an area that I see growing bigger and bigger on an international scale in years to come."
The free event is taking place by the famous Cathedral of St. Paul (Minnesota).
Teaser: Bucky may be making an appearance along with other WCHA mascots going down the course.
Grotting will be skating on Thursday (January 12th), in the "National Shootout" from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM.
You can check out the International Shoot Out: Friday (12.45pm - 2.30pm) and the Elimination Round: Friday (7.00pm - 8.30pm).
The finals are on Saturday (4.00pm Gates Open, 7.00pm Race Starts).
Here is an interview Grotting did on KFAN, a sports talk radio station in the Twin-Cities. Skip ahead to 22 minutes of the audio to listen to the hilarious Grotting interview.
"There's going to be good music. Come out, grab a beer, and watch someone get injured."-Ben Grotting
Ahhhhh, I'm in.
If you want an idea of what is going on, watch this video:
Join the Badger conversation on Facebook! Go to our Facebook page and "like" us!
For more Wisconsin hockey coverage, follow Chuck on Twitter (@UWChuckSchwartz)
Chuck can also be reached via e-mail at chuckschwartz@live.com