When I played soccer recreationally at Santa Cruz, I was always disappointed by rain affecting our games. Even when it drizzled, practices and games would be called off. I couldn't believe it. I could not wait until next year, to play in England where I thought they never cancelled games due to weather. Well, I was wrong.
We have already had 6 or 7 matches canceled so far this year. It's not that the athletes are afraid to play in a bit of rain, but the groundskeepers are incredibly protective of their fields. If it rains too much leading up the match, it will be cancelled. If it rains the day of the match, it will certainly be cancelled. Snow and ice also lead to cancellation. The worst part is that we don't usually find out until an hour so before kickoff if the match is on or not.
We have one fixture (Mildert C's [us] vs. Castle C's) that is surely jinxed. It has been scheduled literally 6 times, and postponed every time. We have only played 4 matches this whole season though we should have probably played twice as many.
Today we were scheduled to finally make up our match against Castle C, and I was optimistic we would finally get to play. It hadn't rained in a couple days, and the forecast for today was good. The match was scheduled for 11:00AM. I went to bed early last night, woke up at 8:00 AM this morning and opened my curtains to a beautiful sunny looking morning. Sure the lake was frozen over, but everything looked dry. Surely we were finally going to play. I got dressed in my entire uniform and warm up suit, and headed into breakfast. In the middle of a hearty pre-game breakfast with the rest of the team, I got the dreaded text message. I knew their was only person who could be texting me this early...
"Sorry Lads, just got word that the match is cancelled!! I can't believe it! Pitches are frozen solid... Supposedly! -Rothers"
It was our football captain, and once again we would not be playing Castle C. It's usually not too bad when matches are canceled, because the weather gives hints and it's not too surprising. When the ground is covered in snow, you get the idea that you're not going to play. Today was different, because I really didn't see any obvious indications in the weather.
The worst part about canceled matches is the mental aspect. It's bad enough that you have to go to bed early, get up early, plan your whole day around the match, etc. But you also have to mentally prepare yourself to play the match, and get yourself ready. When it's canceled with so little warning, your mind and body are both confused. Often I have to go for a run or take a shower just to calm down.
Oh well, hopefully we eventually get to play. I'll keep you updated.
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