It’s always risky for me to make firm stadium trip plans in the winter due to my crazy work schedule during the snow season. However, this year I decided to take a risk after finding a great set-up in Madison, WI featuring a Badger basketball game and a USHL hockey game. The flight was direct and only $200, so I booked the mid-February trip and crossed my fingers for no delays. Well unfortunately, it was indeed snow that screwed the trip, but in an unexpected way. I was in a car accident where a car in the opposite lane slid on snow and ice into my lane and I struck it. Thank God all participants were ok and I was the only one injured, but will recover. A broken left wrist and finger required surgery a few weeks ago and I won’t be able to drive for awhile, so Wisconsin is cancelled. It got me thinking and frustrated at how challenging it will be to fly for stadium trips because of airline expense and the price gauging closer to the date of departure. My original $200 EWR-MSN flight is now $780!!! Tickets are non-refundable (and exchanges are a sham) and I’ll be hard-pressed to plan another flying trip for awhile due to the volatility of it all. I love the flexibility and affordability of driving and I’m thankful of the vast amount of sports stadiums that I can visit within a 10-hour drive.
So, while I rest and rehab my left arm (and be thankful it wasn’t my dominant right hand), I’m trip planning. It’s an activity that I love and I’ve come up with a lot of ideas for March. Each weekend has a potential trip, but given weather, work and rehab, I’ll wait til early in the week to pick one. Here are the ideas:
March 4-5: Maine High School Championsips in hockey and basketball (at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee and Augusta Civic Center, respectively)
March 10-11: Utica Comets and Syracuse Crunch
March 11-12: Owen Sound Attack and Hamilton Bulldogs
March 17-18: Ohio and West Virginia High School Basketball Championships (at the Canton Field House and Charleston Civic Center, respectively)
March 25: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Stay Tuned!
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Stadium and Arena Visits 