On a Saturday afternoon, the Girls’ Lacrosse team sprints between lines in the gym. Only a hundred yards away from their home turf, the team is unable to practice due to another year of huge snowfalls. In the Spring of 2018, most every sports team had their first two weeks of games either cancelled or postponed. However, even after a terrible season, many would not expect a possible repeat this spring.
For many athletes, their sports season is the best time of the year. As one would expect, having no games until the end of April takes a toll on the mental, physical, and emotional well being of an athlete. When games get cancelled due to snow, the games have to be rescheduled if they are mandatory conference games. Thus, this causes a shift in the schedule. This movement in games creates extra stress in the lives of the athletes because it causes for more games during the Advanced Placement tests and Finals. Furthermore, more consecutive games in May makes school work harder to complete on time and takes a physical toll on an athlete’s body.
For many spring athletes, the recent melting of snow is a positive sign. Bryce Bankes ‘21 said, “I think it will be a long time before we practice on the turf. All the games will become consecutive within a short period of time, which isn’t a good thing.” Yet, even as teams such as the Girls’ Lacrosse Team get to practice in the Gym, it still isn’t the same experience as playing where their games will take place. Kalissa Frutel ‘21 states, “Currently we are holding practices in the Gym, but it makes some of the drills much harder to practice well.” With much of their season’s schedule unknown, Blake athletes look to the weather forecast for help.
As athletes wait for the spring season to begin, everyone must remember how much of a toll delayed games has on the athletes. Nevertheless, whatever happens with the weather, everyone knows that it will still be a while for regular playing conditions to return. The sooner play begins, the better the athletes’ experience will be.
