My City February 2023

MYSPORTS

Photos provided by Bill Thompson, Michigan Ice Fest, Upper Peninsula Travel & Recreation Association

BY MARK SPEZIA

D uring the 1970s, forested ar eas around his Flushing home beckoned a young Bill Thompson. Nature became his happy place, providing endless hours of enjoyment during an era when kids' screen time was limited to live television and occasional movie theater outings. "Flushing was less developed then and there was a sizable area of woods behind our house that was not even part of a park or anything like that," Thompson remembers. "Along with playing plenty of baseball with friends, I ended up spending a lot of time back there. I have always had a great passion for the outdoors." By his teen years,Thompson's passion led to a part-time job at For-Mar Nature Preserve in Bur ton and then to a decision which would change the course of his life. He resolved to turn what he loved into a living. Education was step one, so after graduating from Flushing High School in 1980, he enrolled in classes at Mott Community College with an eye toward obtaining an outdoor recreation degree.

Then, in fall of 1983, as Thomp son tells people with excitement in his voice, he discovered his version of paradise upon arriving in Mar quette to continue his education at Northern Michigan University. He has never left.

"Honestly, I could not think of a bet ter place to complete my undergradu ate degree and then master’s degree in outdoor recreation than an area with so much outdoor activity," Thompson says. "There are so many opportuni ties – backpacking, mountain biking,

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