Last night, I shot a spectacularly weird football game. It was played on the ice rink… with turf carpets laid directly on top of the ice:
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. A crack in the turf's seam shows the ice underneath at the American Indoor Football game played on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the York City Ice Arena.
It was an American Indoor Football league exhibition-style game, and it was by far the strangest one I’ve photographed. The “field” was 50 yards long, and the goalposts were suspended from the ceiling. Early in the first quarter, management decided to have the game played in only one direction after a player slid on the carpet — which then slipped on the ice — in the far end zone.
Most significantly, the players and the ball were prone to crash into the crowd at any point.
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Harrisburg Stampede linebacker Vincent Tiberi is brought down by the Virginia Badgers against the boards as members of the crowd pass by during the third quarter on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at York City Ice Arena. The game was played like an exhibition game to gauge interest in York, with the Stampede winning 70-24.
Almost as significantly, the unevenness of the turf carpet meant extra caution had to be taken.
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Bumps in the turf carpet and breaks in the seams were an inevitable obstacle throughout the game between the Harrisburg Stampede and the Virginia Badgers on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the York City Ice Arena. A referee in the fourth quarter tripped on the carpet and hit his head.
But everyone seemed to have fun. And if the higher-ups think the game was a big-enough hit, who knows? Maybe one day York will have its own indoor football team.
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. The Virginia Badgers team occupied the visitors hockey bench at the rink in the York City Ice Arena.
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. Members of the Harrisburg Stampede Starletz dance team perform their number during a dance-off against the Virginia Honey Badgers dance team during halftime on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the York City Ice Arena.
© 2012 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News. The Virginia Badgers give the kickoff return during the third quarter against the Harrisburg Stampede on Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the York City Ice Arena.
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