Last weekend, I had the pleasure of enduring sixty minutes of what has most arguably been Montreal’s chilliest weather this fall. As I stood in the freezing cold, pining for the warmth of my bed and some mindless downloaded television on my laptop, I tried to remember why I was even outside in the first place. As a sharp and icy gust of wind jumped down my jacket, I remembered how I had promised my friend that if her intramural soccer team made it to the finals, I would go to the game to show my support. If only I had known that my friend’s team would actually make it all the way to the finals and the game would take place on the coldest day of the year I probably would have turned down her invitation. It wasn’t actually the coldest day of the year, but for the first week of November, it was far too chilly for my liking.
Since misery loves company, I dragged my roommate with me up to Forbes Field where the game was being played. Once we arrived, with about five minutes to spare before the game started, the two teams, the Molson Legends and Fugacity, were each huddled together on the sidelines, bouncing up and down, in attempt to warm up before hitting the field. I immediately felt horrible for these two teams of girls, wearing only shorts and sweatshirts underneath their jerseys. Once the teams hit the field, I recognized about half of them, which undeniably made the game more interesting.
The game got off to a very quick start with both the ball and girls flying in every direction. It appeared that my friend and I, as well as two other boys (I assume they were dedicated boyfriends of two players) were the only fans present at the game. The players, however, on both teams, were entirely unbothered by this. These girls meant business on the field- I have never seen so much aggression, intensity, concentration and seriousness during an intramural game before. The one time I participated on an intramural team, it was all fun and giggles- probably the reason we did not succeed in making it past the first round of play-offs. Anyways, the level of skill of these girls was very impressive and as soon as a forward of Fugacity scored the first goal, the game became even more heated. Having said that, I was still freezing and hoping for a concession stand selling hot dogs and hot chocolate to magically appear.
The second half was just as intense. Anytime a ball would hit one of the players’ legs I couldn’t help but flinch and grimace. The sound the ball made upon making contact with a set of bare legs was awful, and made me thankful that I was a spectator who was wearing pants. Fugacity scored another goal, and unfortunately the Molson Legends were unable to catch up by the time the last whistle was blown. The members of Fugacity were awarded glass mugs- a strange alternative to a trophy or medal, but nonetheless, proof of their hard work and success as this year’s intramural soccer champions. As for me, I was awarded a hug from my friend for my support and permission to return to the warmth of my apartment.
