Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Loving Winter In Winnipeg

The younger takes a stab at ringette.



I received the usual ribbing from friends and neighbors who emerged in the new year with a bit of a tan. "Christmas in Winnipeg, eh? Lucky, lucky guy!" Winnipeg winters can be unendurably cold, it's true. But there are aspects to them that I genuinely miss.

The first of these is blinding sunlight. Clear skies, and a plain covered in snow for 40 miles in any direction makes for a very bright exposure. Does me good, that. It actually entices me out of doors, where I enjoy another aspect I don't find in Southern Ontario: outdoor skating rinks.

Winnipeg has dozens of these -- nearly every school has two or three pads on its playground, and most are well maintained. A person with a pair of skates and some flexibility to his day can expect to have the ice to himself, sometimes for hours at a stretch. He can try all the stunts that would embarrass him and endanger others in a crowded indoor arena. F'rinstance: until four years ago, I could never stop on my right side. I'm still some distance away from the right feeling natural, but with a split-second forethought I can certainly nail it.

An empty rink is an open invitation to pick-up. I don't bother with hockey anymore -- I've yet to play with a group of guys that doesn't include one short-tempered meatball who likes to take it into the corners -- but ringette? Anytime!

Ringette is a passing game: no player in possession can make an end-to-end run. It is also a non-contact sport, which is usually observed with special care when the teams are co-ed. Our family would scrimmage for an hour, then return to the house in a sweat -- even when it was -36 C, before wind-chill. I won't speak for my daughters, but I could make that a daily routine for quite a few weeks before getting tired of that.

Not in this part of Ontario, alas. The times and the climate have a-changed, and outdoor rinks are an artifact of the past. Ah, well. Advantage: Winnipeg.

2 comments:

DarkoV said...

Sir,
Your post talks of things so tempting, namely, the ability to skate on ice and push some round object around wihtout fear of joining Eric in the mumbly-jumbly league. Is Canada truly so far socially advanced that aged male skaters can mosy up and down the ice guiding felt objects without grief from any non-skating males strolling by the rink?
That is truly amazing! Here in Philly-land, a guy skating without delivering blows-of-many-colors is ripe meat for vicious commenting.

This Ringette stuff is sorely tempting in that it would not be sore-inducing. Would all my games have to be away, I think?

Are even benign versions of boarding frowned on? I still have that itch to sweep low and aim shoulder high...

Whisky Prajer said...

The occasional "smudge" occurs without penalty, but I've seen some astonishing calls on genuine non-offenders. The habit is to err on the extreme side of caution. Reffing is a contested art at the best of times, of course. But erring on the side of caution is most welcome when dealing with girls in early adolescence -- and men in mid-life.