Spring break: the good the bad, the crazy

Spring break: the good the bad, the crazy

Nathan Stapleton

Spring break: the good the bad, the crazy

In spite of the relatively mild winter, I’m looking forward to spring break. Like thousands of other college students, I’m headed to Florida. Florida has been a hot spot for spring breaks since Ponce de Leon.

Apparently, MTV is filming from Panama City again this year. Victoria’s Secret and ESPN threw some big parties in Florida last year. There will probably be a “Girls Gone Wild” film crew somewhere. But I’m hoping to avoid all that.

In our culture, spring break gives permission to act a little crazy, although it’s not a requirement. In Canada, spring break is called “reading week”, to allow students to get caught up on their studies. Yeah right. The only reading I might do is a wine list.

One of my wildest spring breaks occurred in Tempe, Ariz. One night, we danced with a major league baseball team, in town for spring training, and during the day, fried ourselves in the desert sun. When we left to drive home, our sunburns were so bad, we couldn’t wear clothes so we drove in our bathing suits. Then a few hours later we had a wreck in a blizzard on a mountain pass in Flagstaff, Ariz. and had to get out of the car in our bathing suits. Horrible as it seemed at the time, it was a perfect spring break, one that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Trust me. After the college years, spring breaks will become a lot more tame, even boring. Don’t miss this opportunity. And don’t let the economy ruin spring break. Now may be the time to drop in on relatives or siblings in other towns.