The Greatest Game Ever Played.

I hate the winter. Yeah, I love playoff football, and I love the holiday season, but that's about it. If I didn't love Wisconsin so much, my hatred of winters may have driven me elsewhere (probably not true, I'd be too afraid to move by myself). But last winter I was introduced to a sport that made me enjoy winters a little more, in fact, almost look forward to them.

Boot Hockey.

I didn't know what it was at first either. But it's pretty simple. It's hockey, without skates. Hockey with tennis shoes, and a tennis ball. And it is awesome.

Every winter in La Crosse, the Northside Oktoberfest Grounds are turned into a hockey rink, they put up boards, and freeze water (yes, into ice) and make a rink. It's no Rockefeller Center, but it will do. Sure, the ice sucks, and sometimes you have to use garbage bins instead of nets, but overall, it's not a bad time.

Like any sport I play, I'm terrible. I was never very athletic in my life, I've always been rode the fine line between "I guess he can play" and "What is he doing here?". Boot hockey is no exception. And while it's hard to run on the ice, hard to stop, and I'll be sore through the weekend, I'm already looking forward to the next time I take to the ice. If they let me, of course.
So if any of you ever get the winter blues, grab a couple friends, grab a pack of tennis balls, and head to the nearest ice rink. But don't make the same mistake I did tonight, and make sure you wear knee pads.