After Simone Biles tweets she's 'NOT built for cold weather,' Packers fans step up with tips for staying warm in Wisconsin
Simone Biles is getting her first real taste of Green Bay in the fall, and it’s been a chilly but warmhearted introduction.
The Olympic champion gymnast and wife of Packers safety Jonathan Owens weighed in on a cold and snowy Halloween with a tweet on Monday that said simply, “I’m NOT built for cold weather.”
Plenty of Wisconsinites were grumbling about the area’s ill-timed first snowfall of the season (in October!), but for Biles, who grew up, trains and lives in Texas, it no doubt was a shock, especially for someone who just two days earlier was spotted wearing a sweatshirt at the Minnesota Vikings-Packers game at Lambeau Field to cheer on her husband.
But have no fear, cold-hardy folks were quick to step up and offer some tips for the far chillier weather still to come. Heaven Daniels, the wife of former Packers defensive tackle Mike Daniels, had some of the best advice: Tap your friendly local deer hunter for the tricks of the trade.
“The hunters are the ones who had me game ready girlfriend!" Daniels wrote. "Heated insoles (well everything), snow pants/suit, down coat, stand on styrofoam or cardboard, baileys (Irish cream liqueur) & hot chocolate — or eventually move inside at them games girl cuz whewww!! You’ll make it!”
Someone pointed her in the direction of Cuddl Duds, the line of warm and cozy pajamas, leggings and tops available in great numbers at Kohl’s. They’re good for layering, a technique that was also mentioned numerous times, as in “strategic layering” and “layering is your friend.”
Other suggestions that were tossed out on X and might be handy for any cold-season Packers game newbie:
- Check into a battery-powered heated jacket.
- “Stocking caps are essential.”
- Electric socks from Fleet Farm.
- “Stock up on wool.”
- Don’t discount the warming powers of a hot toddy or brandy Old-Fashioned.
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At least one person pointed out she's missing something many Wisconsinites carry a little extra of to help insulate: body fat.
A few glass-half-empty types reminded her it’s only going to get worse. “Green Bay hasn’t seen ‘Green Bay cold’ weather yet. Just letting you know,” wrote one person. But from the glass-half-full camp: “It builds character and makes vacation more meaningful, Simone!”
The weather didn’t keep her from venturing out to celebrate Halloween. She posted a photo Tuesday on Instagram of her and Owens in costume for a Halloween party in Green Bay.
“The hospitality in Green Bay is unmatched,” she wrote in a separate post on X on Wednesday. She didn't provide any details (darn it), but it prompted a flurry of comments about “Wisconsin nice” and “Midwest nice.”
“We are a pretty nice bunch. Unless you’re from Illinois,” one person joked.
“We can’t help the weather, but we *will* bend over backwards to make you a snack, get you a drink, make sure you are warm & comfy ... Midwest Nice is a real thing,” wrote another.
Sunday was the second regular-season Packers game Biles could attend. She was at a couple preseason games in August as well as the Packers' season opener against the Chicago Bears in September before departing for the world championships.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @KendraMeinert.