Happy St. Patrick's Day

To celebrate, I will be outside as a soccer referee for nearly four hours this afternoon. That's right, even though the expected high is 37 today and there is an inch or two of snow on the ground, the soccer tournament must go on. The competition will be played exclusively on all-weather synthetic grass fields, so apparently, the tournament officials want to prove that snow and cold count as "all-weather."

Here is a message from the tournament's website:

While the playing conditions are certainly not ideal, the field surface is firm and traction is adequate. Hopefully players will enjoy the unique experience of playing in our wintry conditions this weekend.

The kids may enjoy it; they play for an hour and can go inside between games. The referees will be outside for nearly four consecutive hours.

Players should expect the fields to have a coating of snow. Dress appropriately. Referees will be lenient on warm weather clothing that does not present a safety hazard (ex. scarves, exposed hooded sweatshirts, etc).

If the tournament is stringent with referee uniforms (like nearly every other tournament I have participated), we will be wearing shorts. Hats are also frowned upon.

Sorry for all of the complaining. I just want to stay inside this afternoon, drink hot chocolate and watch college basketball.