TopDrawerSoccer.com

We all know soccer is an all weather sport. I'll never forget playing games in Austin, Texas, in the 95-degree sun when only eight of our players showed up for an 11 v 11 game. And of course there are the memories of games played in mud, pouring rain, and even what felt like hail.

But sometimes people realize that the game cannot go on.

The Capital Fall Classic in Richmond, Va., was cancelled Thursday after the remains of Hurricane Ida drenched the area and rendered the fields “unplayable.” My 14-year-old son and I were both disappointed but on balance it seems as though the tournament did the right thing. Virginia has been deluged with rain for the last few days and some areas were flooded.

I know tournament organizers hate to cancel their events but sometimes it's the safest and smartest thing to do. Last year we had snow here in Lancaster County the day before the Hempfield Fall Classic, another large regional tournament. Volunteers were sweeping the snow off the fields and cheerfully trying to make a go of it. But it really seemed a little nuts to be trying to play soccer on frozen, snowy fields. A referee at the tournament told me everybody's concerns were justified when a player broke her hip.

Though I was really looking forward to our trip to Virginia, I do think sanity should prevail and I've made peace with staying home for the weekend. There is also a side benefit: I won't have to miss the end-of-season outdoor tournament for my over-30 league. I was a little worried, with all the tournaments and trips going on, that we would only have eight players...