Photo of the Day: Soccer in the Snow

Early this afternoon truly seemed the winter of my discontent. Warm temperatures might have boded well for the Super Bowl in the Meadowlands, but the skies had unexpectedly turned from sunny to overcast to drizzle. Neither the higher temperatures nor the very light rain had made much of a dent in the snow on the track in Winton White Stadium, not far from where I live in Englewood, NJ.

At least the guy in this photo I took was not about to let adverse conditions spoil his enjoyment of his game. H wasn’t risking serious injury by sprinting up and down the field, but at least he was having fun kicking the soccer ball around.

Photo of the Day: View From Stands, Winton White Stadium, Englewood NJ

Thirty-five to 45 years ago, on a typical Sunday in fall, I’d watch the football team from my high school, St. Cecilia of Englewood, NJ, from this vantage point of the stadium. At that time, the stands were packed, as you might expect from a school that looked back to Vince Lombardi for its football tradition.

Saints has been closed for nearly three decades now, and the public high school that permitted use of the stadium, Dwight Morrow, plays its football games on Saturdays. That leaves the stands with a far quieter feeling than it had years ago. An ideal time, perhaps, to take in the surroundings on a glorious Sunday when the temperatures were crisp and the landscape was still glorious.