It’s the most wonderful time of the year for folks who find ways to profit from snow and cold – and hoopsters, wrestlers, bowlers and swimmers.

The winter sports season is getting underway in earnest this week.

Tuesday night the Hoover and Roosevelt boys’ basketball teams got off to promising starts with victories over Ankeny and Ames, respectively. North, led by sensational junior guard Tyreke Locure, lost a tough one to Waukee in a game that went down to the wire. The Polar Bears are coming off last year’s first trip to the state tourney since 1991. Girls’ action got underway just prior to last week’s Thanksgiving break. So far, both East and Roosevelt have chalked up wins in games vs. non-DMPS opponents.

Several DMPS wrestlers enter their seasons highly rated as they eye the state tournament next March at Wells Fargo Arena.

Lincoln’s Nate Kahoe (junior) at 113 lbs and Connor Dalton (senior) at 132 lbs are listed in the preseason rankings at their weights, as are a trio of East High grapplers: Brock Espalin (sophomore) at 126 lbs, Matthew Jordan (junior) at 132 lbs and Deville Dentis (junior) at 138 lbs.

Bowlers too are ready to roll. Last year both the Lincoln girls and the Roosevelt boys qualified for the state tournament.

And let us not forget the swimmers who are plowing through the pools before and after school while everything outside freezes. They’re all hoping to shave enough hundredths of seconds over the next few months to swim at the state meet that’s moving back this year to the University of Iowa natatorium, a venue that’s hosted NCAA championships in the past and is scheduled to again in 2021 and 2022.

Be sure to keep up with your favorite sports and athletes by regularly checking the event calendars on each high school website and follow us on Flickr for great photos from some of the big matchups.

Winter will be over before we know it!

Visit athletics.dmschools.org for a DMPS high school sports calendar.