It varies depending on where you are in the world but for the most part all Hash House Harriers events will have some sort of ice block or a wheelbarrow of ice cubes for a person or several people to be forced to sit on while the other attendees say something mean to them. It's not meant as actual punishment nor is it a hazing ritual for new people. We don't pick on anyone here as we are not a frat house.
It's all meant in good fun. So the questions is, how does one end up on the ice in the first place?
I suppose the short answer would be that you don't really have to do anything wrong to end up on the ice. You can end up on the ice for almost any reason at all. I've been on the ice for minor mistakes on trail, I've ended up on the ice for doing things "too correctly" on trail, I've also ended up on the ice for things I didn't even do but someone in the group was having a bit of fun with me and made something up about me that I was meant to have done on the trail.
One thing I learned a long time ago is to never protest being put on the ice or to shout out that your "accuser" is lying because that will only land you on the ice more for complaining. In the instance that I can remember so clearly, a guy I had barely just met put me on the ice for something I witnessed him doing on the trail. I was weighing in my mind if I was going to put him on the ice for this but he was very clever and accused me of doing what was actually his own mishap. Now it wasn't possible for me to put him on the ice for the same offense. I did have my revenge a few weeks later when I put him on the ice for something I had done wrong and I think it caught him by surprise. We have become quite good friends since then so the ice does have it's purpose!
You will also get put on the ice if you accomplish a milestone like getting a certain number of runs with the Hash you participate in. You will also get put on the ice if you created the trail for everyone else. This is proof that the ice is not really meant as a punishment but almost sort of like it is an honor. Making a trail for the group takes a lot of work so obviously we are not upset with these people for putting in multiple days of work for free. While the Hares (the trail creators) are on the ice we say awful things about how terrible their trail was and how they are stupid for making it that way. Actual criticism cannot really be expected during these portions of our ritual and if you ever say anything complimentary about the trail, you will be joining them on the ice.
These are all just arbitrary and silly rules and the entire idea behind all of it is bring everyone together and to make friends and have fun. I know that I have met dozens, perhaps hundreds of people all around the world in the Hash House Harriers and i know that I can travel to anywhere that has a Hash and will be welcomed by the people that are part of the organization there.
There is always some kind of ice feature at all of these things and if you truly want to know how you can avoid being put on the ice the real answer is that you can't. I suppose you could hide during the ceremony but this would be severely frowned upon and would result in your spending a great deal of time on the ice when you did finally emerge from whatever hiding spot you had chosen.
Want to experience getting "iced?" You can definitely have it at one of our at least 3 weekly runs. Full details can be found at our official website
