WINTER GAMES WE PLAYED

WINTER GAMES WE PLAYED

Sledding was a big deal any time there was enough snow, and there seemed to be enough snow frequently when I was growing up. Maybe I just remember big, but we did have lots of fun sled riding. The road in front of our house wound around a corner and up the hill with very few houses along it past our house. Cars were infrequent users of the road. It almost seemed like the road was made for sledding in the winter. The two techniques for riding a sled were (1) sitting up and steering with your feet, and (2) lying down and steering with your hands. It was always more exciting to lie down, but because your head was in front, it could be nastier if you crashed.

At the bottom of the hill the road made a sharp right-hand turn, and rides often ended when the rider didn't successfully navigate that turn. It was always more exciting and fun when it was difficult to make that turn. An unsuccessful attempt at that turn usually meant either running headlong into the snow bank or rolling over into the snow bank with the sled on top.

One year, someone made a sledding trail on Dave Lohr's hill across from the school. They had done such a good job that we usually became airborne part way down. The challenge was to regain control of the sled and make it through the gate between the fence posts at a right hand turn at the bottom. Not everybody made it, but no one was seriously injured. When I look at that field now, there is a house sitting at the aerial launch point of that trail.

If there was no snow, we could usually find an icy patch where we could slide on your feet. Running up to the icy patch and setting our feet to slide just as we entered it was important, but the more important skill was the ability to start running again when the ice ran out. If we couldn't successfully pick up the run, we were certain to fall, sometimes painfully. If I couldn't find an icy patch, I was known to put several boards together in our yard and run water over them to make my own icy patch. It worked, but it wasn't quite the same.

One year, after snow and thaw, and rain and freeze, and more snow and thaw, the ramp up to the upper playground at the Stoystown school became very icy and slippery. Unfortunately, by the time we got there at lunch time, it had warmed up some, and the ice was pretty wet. It didn't stop us; it just made us wet. Sliding down that ramp, which was probably fifty feet long, was done on the posterior. By the time lunch was over, many of us returned to the classroom with smiles, but with soaked trousers. It was cold sitting through the afternoon classes. Our teacher reminded us that, while the sliding may have been fun, it wasn't particularly smart. I'm sure most of us caught cold from that sliding experience. I know my mother was not happy with me when I got home.

Who didn't get into a snowball fight? If there was enough snow to cover the ground, there was enough snow to make snowballs. Of course the wet snow made better snowballs that did the snow of colder days when it was a “dry” snow. (Sort of sounds like the “dry” heat in Arizona.) Nothing was more disheartening than a snowball that flew apart before it got to the intended target. If you packed the wet snowballs long and hard enough they became almost ice. Those really hurt when they hit. We were always going to make snow forts and have monumental snowball fights, but, invariably, someone wasn't patient enough, and started throwing before the forts were completed. Of course, it then deteriorated into a snowball free-for-all. Anybody was a likely target.

Riding bicycles was a challenge during snowy weather, but it was a challenge we periodically accepted. It was hard to pedal the bike through fresh snow, although it did leave really cool tire marks. The bicycling was better after the snow had been worn down, the road had been plowed, and cars had made the surface slick. Keeping your balance was an exciting and interesting challenge. I know I had several bicycles over the years that had dents from falls on snowy roads.

When we became of drivng age, new winter sports appeared. Plowing through snow drifts on back roads was always a thrill. We had to carry a shovel or two in the car because we didn't always successfully get through the drift. Since then I've thought that we were really fortunate not to come across someone else plowing through a snow drift from the other side, or even to come across another car caught in the snow drift. One memorable day we got on skis, hooked a rope to the back of a jeep, and skied across the fields on a friend's farm. We were smart enough to let go of the rope if we lost our balance, but I guess that wasn't the most intelligent thing we ever did, either.

As teenagers, we also did some ice skating, on ponds, on Stonycreek, and even on the roads when the snow plows didn't get down to the road surface. I still have the skates I used then.

Now that I am older and live in Arizona, I sometimes think about the fun we had in the snow, and wish I was back there. But then, I realize that I wouldn't do those things now anyhow, and would probably get angry if I got stuck in the snow.