You Know You Play Pickup in Maine When…

Some things only make sense to people who play pickup here. You don't need a rulebook for them. You just nod.

So, with the leaves mostly down and the evenings getting dark early, here's our list.

You know you play pickup in Maine when…

1. You check the car thermometer before you check the group chat. Then you check the group chat to see if anyone else checked the car thermometer.
2. Your gym bag holds a pair of sneakers, a water bottle, two hoodies, a winter hat and a pair of gloves you only need until the second game.
3. You've worn shorts and a winter hat at the same time and felt completely fine about it.
4. You've swept leaves off a court with your shoe. In the fall it's leaves. In the spring it's sand. Somewhere in between, it was a shovel.
5. "Is it still on?" is the most-sent message of the season, and "we're here, it's fine" is the most common answer.
6. The first open gym after the snow sets in feels like a holiday. Everyone shows up a little early just to stand somewhere warm and bouncy.
7. You know which gyms have the good water fountain, which ones have the sticky floor, and which ones are always a little too cold until about ten minutes in.
8. Black flies have ended more of your summer evening games than any final score.
9. Someone in the group drove a good long way on back roads to play, and nobody thinks that's unusual.
10. You've finished a game in the dark, at least once, because "one more" turned into three.
11. Your post-game plan depends entirely on what's still open in town by the time you finish.

That's our eleven. We know we missed some. Maine has a lot of weather and a lot of gyms, and every group has its own little rituals.

What's yours? Finish the line in the comments: "You know you play pickup in Maine when…"

And if the dark evenings are pushing you inside, there's a list of drop-in and open gym times across Maine, or you can host a game and see who turns up. Hoodie optional. Probably.