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| FIGHTINGSIOUX.COM |
There is a bible verse from John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Back when the incident first surfaced there were many rumors out there floating around Grand Forks, ND and on the Internet. Most of them were various degrees of a student athlete being in an intoxicated state. I guess there are a few people out there that owe Danny Kristo an apology eh? Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald has an interesting interview with Kristo and none of the stories that I heard jive with Danny’s take on the incident. Kristo said that “No alcohol was involved,” where are all the prognosticators today?
Brad Elliott Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald ---“No alcohol was involved,” Kristo said. “I was not drunk. I know there are rumors going around about that. I did make some poor decisions that night, like not wearing socks and a pair of tennis shoes when it’s 30 below in Grand Forks. That’s not very smart. I did have some bad judgments on that night, but alcohol was not one of them.”
The incident
Kristo said he was home alone at his apartment, located across the street from the Alerus Center and behind Ray Richards Golf Course at about 9 p.m., when he decided to walk to a girl’s apartment located about seven-tenths of a mile away.
Kristo couldn’t drive because his car was at Ralph Engelstad Arena. He left it there the night before, opting to ride home with his roommates, Matt Frattin and Evan Trupp, when the team returned home from a road trip to Colorado College.
“We always carpool,” he said.
So, Kristo decided to take a shortcut across Ray Richards Golf Course to the girl’s apartment, which was located near the new Red Pepper location on 42nd Street. Kristo said he walked that path many times before.
This time, he wasn’t properly clothed for the cold temperatures. Kristo said he was wearing tennis shoes, no socks, sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt. He had a stocking hat on, but no gloves or mittens.
There was a significant amount of snow on the course, but Kristo said it was iced over and he could walk on top of it.
“As I was walking, I hit some powder,” Kristo said. “My right foot dug way in there. It was almost waist deep. My left foot was still on top of the snow. I pulled my foot up and my shoe was off. I pulled out my phone (for light) to scan the snow. I couldn’t find it. It was dark in the middle of the course. My foot started getting really cold and I was digging pretty hard with my hands and I couldn’t find it.
“I looked back at my apartment and I looked to the apartment I was going to. I was closer to the apartment I was going to. My foot and my hands were starting to lose feeling and I knew I had to get there pretty quick. So, I pretty much ran there with one shoe on.”
UND team physician Greg Greek said frostbite doesn’t take long to set in when it is that cold.
“With those conditions? It doesn’t take more than a few minutes, if that,” Greek said.
Kristo, who also sustained frostbite on the hand he used to dig in the snow, said his foot was white when he got to the apartment. He wrapped it up and called Frattin and Trupp to tell them what had happened. They immediately went to the girl’s apartment.
“My first reaction was that I don’t know what to think,” Kristo said. “I knew I had to warm it up, but you don’t know many people who have had frostbite.”
Kristo told his teammates that he didn’t have feeling in his foot and they decided to take him to the hospital. Frattin threw Kristo (whose foot was wrapped) on his shoulders and carried him to the car and got Kristo to Altru.
