Every now and then, the weather does not cooperate when you're trying to cover a sporting event with some comfort. Friday night was obviously one of those times.
Because I was a one-man show in game coverage and because Havre de Grace has a nice big press box, I opted to stay close to home and out of the rain. I am all about being on the sidelines, but getting a tad older, but more importantly, wiser, I made the right decision.
I had a couple of jeers from a few, but I told them just that, older and wiser.
Trust me, I've had my share of days/nights on a sideline or the stands when the weather was a bit brutal and there was no legitimate press box to climb in.
Looking back over the years, about 25 or so I'd say, there are a few events that I helped cover or covered alone, that stick out.
I recall a boys soccer state semifinal involving Fallston, played somewhere out west in the early 1990s. I believe it was North Hagerstown, but it could have been South Hagerstown. Either way, my brother Greg and I traveled there and tried to view the game from the stands.
A persistent driving wind continued to pound us minute-by-minute until we just couldn't take it anymore. Luckily, we were able to find a wall that shielded us a bit from the wind. It was flat chilly and the wind made it that much worse.
Two of the wetter days I can recall involved Havre de Grace football teams during their stellar run in the mid 1980s. I was strictly a photographer in those days.
Again, my mind is a little sketchy on this one, but it was a state quarterfinal or semifinal and it was played in Baltimore County. It rained a lot before the game and it rained more during the game, making the playing field and the sidelines a muddy mess.
I remember trudging around in the mud, trying to get quality pictures and not ending up on my backside. I can't recall how the pictures turned out, but I did not fall in the mud.
The other wet game that sticks out happened in the fall of 1985. Havre de Grace was playing for the Class 1A state football crown in College Park against James M. Bennett. All football state finals were played in the University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium in those days.
The game was played in a steady rain, which sometimes was lighter, but I don't think it ever stopped completely. It was just a very damp and dreary day that included fog. Not ideal for playing in, let alone trying to get a few decent pictures.
Both of those games were extremely wet and muddy, but they were somewhat warm, and that's a bonus.
Without a doubt though, the most uncomfortable game that I covered was played in 1986 at Aberdeen High School. The Eagles were making their first appearance in a state football playoff game and the maker of warm weather was out of town.
Forestville, who I had never heard of to that point, made the trip to Aberdeen. They came from the south, but not south enough.
It was flat out cold that night, so cold in fact, there were fires burning in 55-gallon trash cans along the home sideline. It was definitely the coldest event that I ever covered in this business.
So, there's a few more weeks left in this Fall season and who knows which way the wind will blow, how much it will rain or even snow.
Regardless, I plan to be on a sideline somewhere. Well, that is if I don't think too long and hard about some of my past experiences, both good and bad.