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Weather is tough opponent for spring sports
(by Steve Novak - April 22, 2009)
Weather is tough opponent for spring sports
By STEVE NOVAK
Scheduling high school sports in the springtime is not always an easy task. When Mother Nature refuses to cooperate, it can be downright trying.
Schools around the Chagrin Valley have been facing their fiercest opponent since the season began last month -- the weather. First it was cold, then it was snow and now it has been rain, and rain, and more rain.
The rain has played havoc with some teams more than others. Baseball, softball and tennis teams have fared the worst, while lacrosse and track and field have not had many events called off.
One good example of recent weather trends comes from Orange High School athletic director T.J. Rockwell.
"With baseball and softball combined, I've lost about a dozen games already," Rockwell said last week. "Last night was a perfect example. It rained last night, and the fields are still wet, and it might rain some more. Some schools will play, and others don't."
Rockwell said that on the morning of a scheduled game, the decision on whether to play rests with the home team. "It all depends on the field," he said. He said he takes a frequent look at a weather Web site for the forecast.
Gilmour Academy athletic director Tom Bryant said that at the halfway point of April, the weather had so far wiped out all junior varsity girls' softball games, as well as all seventh- and eighth-grade baseball and softball games. A combined eight varsity baseball and softball games also have to be rescheduled.
"I've been doing this for 45 years, but this is ridiculous," Bryant said of the April weather. "It's really difficult to keep up with. A lot of calls have to be made."
Both Bryant and Rockwell said that even if it doesn't rain on the day of a scheduled game, the condition of the field from rainfall can still make the conditions bad enough to postpone the game.
"The biggest problem now of why you can't play is that the sun brings up the ground water that still is there," Bryant said. "Then, there's still water on the field. Only Hawken has the advantage."
Construction of Hawken's new all-weather baseball field was completed less than a year ago. It was part of a multimillion-dollar project which included a new football field, track, and soccer and baseball field.
Hawken athletic director Jim Doyle said that his school's new field has synthetic turf called "Tiger Turf" on every portion of the field with the exception of the batter's box and the pitcher's mound.
Doyle said all portions of the turf have a built-in drainage system which is effective enough to clear just about any surface water away within about 30 minutes of a rainfall.
"Virtually, we can play anytime, as long as it not raining during the game," he said. "Last Wednesday, we were the only team in the area that played a game." It had rained the day before.
While spring weather hasn't cooperated in Northeast Ohio, some teams were able to play because they scheduled games during spring break in warmer climates.
Kenston baseball coach Brian Holley said his team went to Florida for spring break. This is despite the fact that renovations and improvements were made last season to the varsity baseball field.
The Bombers, along with West Geauga and Chagrin Falls are among schools which have gone the one-week Florida route in recent years.
"This is the first year our baseball team has gone to Florida," Solon athletic director Mark McGuire. "The reason is twofold. One is the weather, and the other is because you get some good competitive games down there."
However, the one-week break for Florida games doesn't take away the Ohio weather when the teams return. Rockwell and other athletic directors said that when a game is postponed, a priority system goes into the process of trying to reschedule it.
"A league game -- a game in your conference -- is most important," Rockwell said. "Those take precedence. And everyone is in the same boat when they try to reschedule."
Bryant said when trying to reschedule games, often it's the nonconference games which wind up canceled.
"League games are most important. The term 'bumped' gets used a lot," Bryant said. "You have to discuss it with the other coaches."
Rockwell also said that when an athletic director knows that an opponent's field has a better chance of being playable, athletic directors try to switch the sites.
"As a rule, fields that are kept up by, say, municipalities have a better chance," he said. "Some schools play at Forest Hills (a city field in Cleveland Heights), and those are good fields, because they're kept up almost year-round."
Even the state-of-the-art turf field isn't immune to all weather conditions. Hawken postponed one baseball game.
"We lost one game," Doyle said. "There were 3 inches of snow on the field."
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