It was the dead of winter in Michigan and Lucas Manning ’16 was dared to jump into a frigid lake, coated in a thin layer of ice. His choices were either to take a dip in the ice-cold water or receive an equally cold slap in the face.

Manning decided to go with the former.

He and his friend cracked open the icy top of the lake with hockey sticks and Manning plunged into the arctic waters.

Manning was playing a twisted version of Truth or Dare called Odds, or What are the Odds? It is a game where one person will first dare someone to do something, like jumping into a lake in the middle of winter. Then the two people choose a number (usually one through 20)and on the count of three, if they say the same number, the person dared must do the dare or take a punishment.

Although the odds of choosing the same number as someone else are slim, many people still end up faced with the dare.

Dared by his friends and family, Spencer Daniels ’17 once jumped off a moving boat into an ocean off Mexico. He also once dared a friend to drive 80 miles per hour down his street.

The initial thrill of the game is enticing, but to some, this game seems crazy and dangerous.

When social studies teacher Sara Pinchback first heard about the game, her eyebrows knitted in concern. “It sounds like it could go very badly,” Pinchback said.

However, despite the potential danger in participating in risky dares, the participants always have the option not to do the dare.

For instance, Manning once dared his friend, a “5 foot 6 inch suburban white kid,” who goes to Michigan State University, to try out for the school’s football team. They both chose the same number, one through 70; however, Manning’s friend chose not to do the dare, and received a slap in the face instead.

Many people would think taking the punishment is the better option, but Manning, along with many other players of the game, prefer to take the dare.

“If you don’t do it, you live with the shame of being that guy that ruined the game,” Manning said. “It sets a bad precedent for when you finally get someone in the game.”

While some dares are extreme, many are fairly harmless.

Nicolas Amato ’16 has enjoyed the game while partaking in less dangerous stunts. He recounts the time he played with his girlfriend on their second date. He dared her to drink “a bunch of nasty sauce.”

Amato summed it up, noting that playing the game “is to accept risk and invite possibility and, in doing so, transcend the drudgery of normal life.”