Well St. Paul, winter has arrived.
Sure, winter doesn’t technically start until Dec. 21, but who has ever thought of December as a fall month? I know I haven’t.
The way I see it, winter is marked by the arrival of freezing temperatures, and of course, snow, which began it’s first descent of the season on Saturday evening.
While I can’t say I’m excited to see the snow show up and a hard layer of ice form over the roads, I suppose there’s no avoiding it, and it’s as a good a time as any.
I remarked in an earlier column that, as an avid sports fan, October is my favourite month of the year. I guess Mother Nature heard me, and kept the white stuff away until the arrival of November, and at an interesting time for me, as it was a strong weekend for sports in St. Paul with the Lions picking up back-to-back Wheatland Football League titles and the Canadiens picking up their third victory of the season on home ice
I have been coaching with the Lions this season, and I remarked with coach John Lumby prior to Saturday’s championship victory that it was a welcome surprise to be able to play in a snowless championship game, as last year the snow arrived before the conclusion of the regular season.
Sure enough, just after the Lions lifted the trophy, the snow began to fall from the sky. As I said, I’m not excited to see it arrive, but when I saw it falling, I shrugged and thought, “Thanks for waiting.”
In a way, I saw this season’s first snowfall as sparkling white confetti falling from the heavens in celebration of the Lions momentous 47-17 victory, but it’s also a sign of things to come, as the biting cold will likely set in just in time for next week’s northern provincial semifinal.
I’m sure there will be some grueling practices in the cold and snow as well, but that’s all part of the agreement when you sign on to take part in Albertan football in any capacity. The way I see it, it brings out the spirit of the players, of the fans and communities. It makes earning that provincial title all the more difficult, and all the more special.
Sure, spending a cold and snowy day indoors watching television is comfortable, but the winter days worth remembering are the ones where we brave the elements and refuse to let them impact our way of life.
It’ll be a while before colour returns to the countryside in northern Alberta, as blankets of white now cover the rolling hills, so remember when you look out your window in the morning to add some red to your outfit, and pin a poppy to your lapel.
