If there is ever an inevitable force that can curse a team in the spring, it is weather. For the past month and a half baseball, lacrosse, track and softball team players have seen rain plague games and practices. The biggest problem for coaches and players is that come game time, a week’s worth of practice is lost and the team is that much less prepared than if they had more time to practice.

For instance, the baseball team went weeks without real practice due to the rain in March and early April, making it difficult for the team to work toward a post-season record. After school, players would have to just pack up and go home hoping for clear skies the next day. Softball is in the same boat as baseball, canceling practices to avoid the muddy field and intolerable rain.

Local Little League baseball teams had trouble with the weather as well. Teams were unable to even start the season until after spring break because of the rain. With opening day on the April 7, the first game was not played until the April 18.

Lacrosse was another sport that received several delays in practice because of wet weather. The team and “The Tomahawks,” a local boys’ club team, had numerous cancelled practices, and again sent players packing up and going home after school.

One advantage, however, for the boys’ club lacrosse team is that they practice on an artificial turf field. The advantage with this is that coaches need only to cancel practice if it is currently raining during practice, not before. Teams that practice on grass fields are obligated to cancel practice due to unstable muddy fields from rain earlier in the day. Artificial fields are without these problems, and allow more practices for a team.

Though many improvements for athletic fields at Gunn are already being planned to take action, having a turf field for sports that cannot practice in rain would increase the number of practices and home games during rainy weather.

Track, the most popular outdoor spring sport on campus, has roughed the rain by continuing practice regardless of the weather. Long and short distance runners have come home from practice soaking wet after running through rain, and sometimes pelted by hail. For the remainder of April and May, players, coaches and fans alike can enjoy the recent sunny weather and hopefully not have to suffer through another long plague of rain.