The Oval is many things — a beach, a playground and even a place where romances can blossom.

At the heart of the romantic side of the Oval is “The Long Walk,” a tradition that dates back to the center of Ohio State for more than 90 years.

According to a 1982 report on the Oval from the Office of Campus Planning and Space Utilization, graduation used to be held in the Oval.

The central sidewalk, the one that runs from the main library all the way to the seal near College Road, was used for the new graduates to walk down and receive their diplomas.

Afterward, anyone who wished to be married would return to the line, and the President, who was also a minister in the past, would marry them.

From this sprang the tradition we know today as “The Long Walk.” It says that any couple who can walk the entire length of the sidewalk without separating hands will fall in love and live happily ever after.

A couple who can't make it all the way down without letting go is destined to break up. In the early years of the tradition (before 1930), freshmen were forbidden to be on the Long Walk.

The penalty, which was occasionally enforced by upper classmen, was to be thrown into Mirror Lake. One has to wonder if that ever led to the Mirror Lake Jump…

In more recent years, the tradition has been practiced by hundreds of couples, mostly around the holidays and in the warmer months.

One couple created a website to memorialize their courtship at OSU, including their experience on The Long Walk.

Graduates Andrew and Megan Evans once walked down the center of the Oval in 2006, locking hands as they walked along. After Andrew’s graduation on June 23 of that year, he walked Megan down The Long Walk once again, but this time instead of the traditional kiss at the end of the walk, he knelt down and pulled out a ring. The couple has been happily married since the end of 2006.

OSU Juniors’ Erica Robins and Jeff Yarletts have been dating for two years and recently took the Long Walk.

“We heard about it from my dad,” Yarletts said. “He heard about it when he was a student here.”

Robins appreciates the tradition, but thinks of it as a just a fun wive’s tale.

“It can’t hurt to have something like this supporting our relationship,” she said. “I definitely knew I wasn’t going to let go.”

The amorous tradition has also managed to gain notice online as well as on campus.

About.com listed the Long Walk as its final entry in a list of the seven most romantic outdoor places in Columbus.

It received a high rating because of the seriousness of the commitment following the tradition. The site warns “this is not a first date kind of thing.” Jokingly, the site also warns against parking tickets and slipping in on the seal if it’s raining, but it would be hard to ruin such a unique tradition like the Long Walk.”

So as Valentine’s Day approaches, followed by graduation, and leaving time for plenty of anniversaries, keep the Long Walk in mind. It’s one campus legend that sounds like it’s worth testing.