MEREDITH, N.H. — Every winter, Pete Kibble and his fellow Massachusetts social hockey players compete in an outdoor tournament that many believe embodies the sport in its purest form. He will travel to New Hampshire to compete.
They are among the 2,200 players who descend on Meredith every February to compete for three days on a frozen lake surrounded by snow-covered hillsides. For many, this is more of a can't-miss event than anything else as a social experience. Kibble's team name, Nog, comes from their tradition of sharing eggnog with their opponents after games.
But like many winter traditions on lakes across the United States, the Pond Hockey Classic is under threat from climate change. This year's tournament was moved from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice wasn't thick enough, to the smaller Lake Waukewan. A sister tournament on Lake Champlain in Vermont was canceled because of soaring temperatures.
Elsewhere, a palace built with thousands of ice blocks at New York's Saranac Lake was closed Saturday during Winter Carnival due to safety concerns as it melted. The same day, an 88-year-old man died in Maine after his all-terrain vehicle plunged into ice after a fishing trip, the latest in a series of such accidents.
In the Midwest, both the extent and duration of ice on the Great Lakes are decreasing, but some small lakes have lost a total of about 20 days of ice area per year over the past 100 years, said University Associate Professor Ted.・Mr. Ozersky stated. University of Minnesota Duluth.
He said rapid changes could also affect wildlife and ecosystems. “We really don't know what this winter loss means for our lakes,” Ozerski said.
Last year was the warmest on record on Earth, but the natural El Niño phenomenon caused some regions to experience an even milder winter.
At Meredith, players gathered from all over the country for the tournament, which began on February 2nd. The rules were that each team had four players and no goalkeeper, and the abilities of the players varied from beginners to former professionals.
A total of 275 teams competed on 26 rinks surrounded by small portable barriers and groomed by skaters with snow shovels. There were no referees and the players had to direct the puck into one of two small goals. Some enthusiastic spectators watched all day, including families wearing crampons.
One team arrived in fur coats, another set up a barbecue, and most started socializing as soon as the game was over.
“This weekend is the most fun I've had this year,” said Kelly Kittredge, a former college athlete whose Boston Beauties team finished runner-up in the women's open division. ”
On the first day of competition, rising temperatures turned the ice into slush, causing some athletes to switch from skates to boots. The next day the action on the ice was faster due to cooler temperatures.
Pond Hockey Classic founder Scott Crowder said there's nothing like playing outdoors in a beautiful setting.
“It's nostalgic for the older generation. That's how they grew up playing. They would go to the local park or pond, put on their skates and play all afternoon,” Crowder said. Ta. . ”
Crowder said the average ice thickness on the lake this year is about 8 to 9 inches, which is the minimum thickness needed to safely host the event. He said he cannot predict the future of the event, adding there is plenty of interest from spectators, athletes, local businesses and the Town of Meredith.
“But there's one variable we can't control,” Crowder said, referring to the weather. “And that's a big one.”
Elizabeth Burakowski, an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, said data shows New England is the U.S. hotspot when it comes to winter warming.
“I grew up in New Hampshire, so if you drive up to Lake Winnipesaukee, a lake in northern New Hampshire, you can usually expect it to be completely iced over by January. “There is fishing going on,” she said. upon. And in recent years, that's not what I've experienced. ”
Kibble, for example, has traveled from Milton every year since the tournament began 15 years ago, and has no plans to stop. These days, his team competes in his 50-plus age group, but he jokes that the nickname on his shirt, “Eggs,” refers to his body type as much as the team's eggnog tradition. say. He says it's all about camaraderie.
“Just being outside skating and playing hockey, like when I was a kid,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Melina Walling in Chicago contributed to this report.
