Teams struggle to find practice space and competition time

As the snow falls on the athletic fields and outdoor courts, coaches are being forced to improvise practices and adjust to the unique weather conditions.

Carey Hermanson, co-head coach of the boys’ tennis team said the unusual weather has dampened the spirits of the team as they hope to defend their conference title.

“The team is frustrated and disappointed because we had a lot of momentum going into the season,” she said “We were feeling really confident because we finished well last year and we have a strong group.”

The boys’ golf team has also had their practices affected by the weather. Head coach Greg Goddard said the team has had to rescheduled practices for before school in order to take advantage of available indoor space to prepare for upcoming meets.

“The guys are still working hard and are dedicated,” he said. “Their attitudes are good and people are optimistic about the season.”

Girls’ lacrosse captain Sarah Webb said even before the snow, the team had to shorten practices due to the cold weather.

“We had to end early and we aren’t able to practice as much as we’d like,” she said.

Girls’ track head coach Christine Tvrdik said the track team has utilized district buildings and converted spaces in the high school for training purposes.

“Coaches have been creative using the pool at Central, hill workouts, and Rich Keith, the boys’ head coach, has developed a weight room in the basement for track and field athletes to use, which has been helpful,” Tvrdik said.

Bruce McLean, the head coach of the girls’ golf team, said they have to shift their practice times in order to find available practice space in the area as well.

“Because of the snow we have had to find alternative places and times to hit,” he said. “For example, we now have two practices scheduled for 7:00 a.m. to take some girls to go hit at an indoor facility in Eden Prairie.”

In addition to affecting practice locations and times, the snowy weather has already caused meets and games to be cancelled. According to Goddard, three golf matches have already been cancelled, including two conference matches.

“It’s the nature of playing golf in Minnesota. You never know what to expect,” he said.

Because of cancellations and postponements, McLean said the rest of the season will be rushed, cutting down on preparation time.

“Rather than having a week or two weeks of hitting at a driving range and playing practice rounds, we will have to start playing matches right away,” he said. “This is the worst spring I can remember for spring sports.”

Webb also said the rescheduling of games will be detrimental to the performance of the lacrosse team.

“We would have benefitted more from the original schedule with our games more spread out,” she said. “Now we will have less time to correct mistakes in between games.”

While the snowy weather prevents most teams from practicing as they normally would, Tvrdik said the loss of practice time won’t affect conference competition as much as one might at first think.

“The weather has definitely affected the amount of running conditioning we can do as well as practicing for field events,” she said. “Luckily, most teams are in the same boat, also struggling to find space.  We have to make the most of each day.”