If you watch the news, you are fully aware that it is very cold in Minnesota right now and very snowy. Over the past week or so, we've seen -20 to -30 windchills (don't overlook the negative signs) and we've seen inches (some places "feet") of snow.
I'm not gonna lie, I had forgotten what sub zero temperatures felt like. And I had forgotten what frozen nose hairs felt like. I am certainly not complaining though. Besides one particular moment of trying to repeatedly get my rear, driver side door to close (it sticks sometimes) in negative temps + wind/windchill, I have enjoyed every moment of the cold.
So far, I have played broomball and hockey in these sub zero temps and as the snow accumulates. It doesn't stop the fun - for me or any of my broomball/hockey loving friends - it just makes the games more interesting. Here are a few examples...
We'll start with hockey. I have played pond hockey 3 times now: once while it was snowing (the kind of snow where it's accumulating in inches) and then tonight, I played and the temperature was exactly zero (I think I have a mild case of frost bite, too, because my right, big toe feels like a rock. But like I told my mom, it's all good as long as it doesn't fall off...). The ice was really bad tonight because in between the snowy night and tonight, we had this random 38 degree day where the ice kind of melted a little bit and the sides of the rink had about 2 inches of water sitting on it. It re-froze, but it was soft in some spots and chiped easily in other areas so there were many moments of random falling on your face. Speaking of the warm hockey day though, there were a few times where we fell in the water so we were pretty wet, but pressed on.
Temperature is all relative, though. I mean, in California, 38 degrees in December is super cold and no one knows what to do. Everyone, if they dare to go outside their warm house, is in layers of clothes, wearing hats, mittens, boots, and carrying a cup of Starbucks to keep them warm. In Minnesota, however, 38 degrees in December is a warm day! No one has a hat or mittens on, you might have a sweatshirt on over your long-sleeved t-shirt, but it's really not necessary, and everyone is outside enjoying the day! Which is what we were doing on that warm, December day when the ice was melting. Wet shirts and pants and water in our skates, sloshing around (literally) was almost equivelent to wearing wet shorts after you've spent the day at the beach... no big deal.
Now for Broomball. Last night we had our second game... and we won... and I got two goals... It was about 3 degrees and it was snowing - but not the thick, heavy snow - it was light, fluffy and slippery. Even with the amazing Broomball shoes, it was still very hard to run on the ice so you relied on your passing game and taking a few dives every now and then to get to the ball before the opponent did! It's so much fun... I wish I was in a league for every night of the week! I suspect that tomorrow, I may end up with the Broomball cough (last time, I got it the 2nd day). We'll see though. Last time, I was in worse physical shape than I am in now - not that I am "in shape" - but I have been playing Broomball or hockey a few times a week so I can definitely handle physical activity a little better now!
I forgot my point - let me go read what my first paragraph said... Oh yeah, it's cold here... So anyway, while most of my fellow Minnesotans (if you didn't read that last phrase with the Minnesotan accent, you should go back and do that - It'll be fun)... anyway, while most of my fellow Minnesotans are not happy about the cold weather or the snow fall that is causing some of my coworkers 2.5 hour long commutes - one way (not exaggerating), I am loving every minute of it! But then again, I love winter sports and I have a 1 mile commute that takes about 3 minutes, IF I hit the stop light.
Check back in March to see if I'm still loving the cold and snow! But if broomball and/or hockey are still going, I suspect I will be just as content with the cold as I am now!
