Mud Bowl champs
College football players aspire to play in bowl games. Professionals dream of playing in the Super Bowl. A bunch of amateurs in New Hampshire just want to get muddy. On Sunday, a three-day sloppy, muddy mess wrapped up for the Mud Bowl featuring players trudging though knee-deep muck while trying to reach the end zone. For these athletes, playing in mud brings out their inner child. “You’re playing football in the mud, so you’ve got to have a smile on your face,” said Jason Veno, the 50-year-old quarterback of the North Country Mud Crocs. Jason described mud as an equalizer. “It’s just a different game in the mud. It doesn’t matter how good you are on grass. That doesn’t matter in the mud.” The annual event takes place at Hog Coliseum, located in the heart of North Conway, NH. It kicked off Friday night with revelry and music, followed by a Tournament of Mud Parade on Saturday. All told, a dozen teams with men and women competed in the tournament in hopes of emerging as the soiled victor.
Mahala Smith is also sold on the camaraderie of the event. She said she fell in love with football early in life and has been playing the sport since first grade and ultimately joined a women’s team for tackle football in 2018 and played that for a few years before she was invited to play in the mud. She said the weekend was a treat. “It’s like a little mini vacation and everyone’s all friendly,” she said. “People hang out at the hotels and restaurants, people camp, we all have fires and stuff, just like a nice group event.” “It’s just a different game in the mud. It doesn’t matter how good you are on grass. That doesn’t matter in the mud.”
Even though it’s fun, the teams are serious about winning. And the two-hand touch football can get chippy on the field of play, but it’s all fun once the games are over. Many of the players were star high school or college athletes, and there have been a smattering of retired pros over the years, Veno said. Over the years, the event has raised more than $1 million for charity, officials said. Want to see more? Enjoy the Down to earth video below.
Dirty Jokes
My 12 year old son tried coffee for the first time today:
“It tastes like dirt!”
I told him it was just ground this morning.
When I was a boy, I had a disease that required me to eat dirt three times a day in order to stay alive…
It’s a good thing my brother told me about it.
What’s the difference between dirt and miracle grow?
Not mulch.
I accused my wife of adding dirt to the garden. She denied it.
The plot thickens.
February 9th Birthdays
1997 – Kelli Berglund, 1988 – Rose Leslie, 1999 – Isabella Gomez, 1942 – Carol King
1982 – Tom Hiddleston, 1943 – Joe Pesci, 1997 – Jimmy Bennett, 1997 – Saquon Barkley