April 10, 2007
HALIFAX -- The official opening of HURL's first-ever spring league will be delayed by one week following today's cancellation of Opening Day games.
All six of the league's teams were scheduled to be in action under the lights at the Dartmouth Commons, but will now have to wait until Tuesday, April 17 to step onto the field.
Timeline leading up to the cancellation
April 7-8: 31 centimetres of snow fall on Halifax.
April 9, 8:01 a.m.: HURL triumphantly announces the opening of its spring league, boasting that its newly acquired all-weather fields will allow play to proceed in "rain or snow". One league official, perhaps still drunk from cashing all the registration cheques, goes so far as to taunt the forces of nature by referring to the weekend's snowfall as a "trifle".
April 10, 1:15 p.m.: With considerably less fanfare, HURL announces the cancellation of the night's games, due to the fields being covered with snow.
Player reactions
While the closure of fields is nothing new to Halifax ultimate -- the average HURL member played just two games last summer -- several new players were frustrated by the day's events. Garnet U. Estabrooks was expecting to make his league debut with the Snowy Huckers, but instead found himself enjoying the latest episode of House in his cozy bachelor apartment. "Let me just say that my experience at Dykefest this past weekend was, uh, less than enjoyable, so I was really looking forward to getting out there on these sweet all-weather turf fields. But then again, had I played ultimate tonight I wouldn't have seen Cameron rip Chase's heart from his chest and stomp it to pieces."
All pre-purchased tickets for tonight's games will be valid for admission to the corresponding April 17 game.