Big Ten softball tournament called in helicopter to dry off field after rain delay
The Big Ten softball tournament was plagued by rain on Friday, with a massive storm hitting the Madison, Wisconsin, area for more than five hours.
After the storm had finally passed, Big Ten officials had to get a little creative in order to get the field ready to resume the delayed matchup between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
So they called in a helicopter.
The Big Ten actually called in a helicopter to help dry off the field, causing what might be the first “Chopper Delay” in all of college sports.
MOST IMPORTANT #B1G SOFTBALL UPDATE EVER.
According to UW officials, in an hour, they are bringing in A CHOPPER TO LAND ON THE FIELD to clear out the rest of the water to play more games tonight.
Stadium will be evacuated and they will close down the road next to the field.
— Amy Gill (@amygillsports) May 11, 2018
IT IS TIME FOR CHOPPER DELAY ON BTN pic.twitter.com/WaKdhhY3HG
— Amy Gill (@amygillsports) May 11, 2018
After evacuating the stadium and closing the road next to the stadium, the helicopter flew right in and landed in the infield briefly. It then flew back and forth over the infield and outfield to dry it out.
You've heard of a Rain Delay; maybe even a Snow Delay…but a Chopper Delay?!
The @B1Gsoftball Tournament called in a chopper to help dry a soggy field in Madison.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) May 11, 2018
Definitely nothing out of the ordinary going on here … pic.twitter.com/imXvHXKe2r
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) May 11, 2018
It turns out this was a pretty effective method, too. Shortly after the chopper flew away, fans were let back in the stadium and the game finally resumed.
Way to get creative, Big Ten.
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