Working with the weather

A brief conversation about spring weather with any Bay Area coach or athletic director is sure to produce an eye roll and possibly even coax a deep inhale-exhale, but little more. As Ashland Oredockers Athletic Director Brian Miller has remarked many times, unpredictable weather is the norm in the Bay Area. For track and field athletes, baseball players, etc., who are striving to improve their times, leaps, throws, and swings, however, such intrusions pose problems. South Shore Cardinals track coach Ryan Tiberg noted that training this time of year is tricky.

“It is challenging,” Tiberg said, “with practicing in hallways and going out to the track when the weather cooperates. Baseball and softball have needed gyms almost everyday this spring, so track and field has just had to adapt practice location and schedule.”

South Shore has two gyms, an outdoor track, and a weight room on its cozy campus in Port Wing, so at least his athletes have a decent shot at finding a place to train. Tiberg suggested that the team has been up and down so far in its performance, largely due to uncooperative weather at the meets, but he believes better weather will promote the jump in performance he expects to see from his Cardinals. In Washburn, according to Head Coach David Barningham, the Castle Guards baseball team has also seen its share of spring weather curve balls. Getting the work done takes some creativity Barningham advised.

“We missed about a week to snow and a couple rainouts,” he said. “The key is to turn it into a positive. I try to turn canceled games into intrasquad cage scrimmages. We divide our team into two and play red vs. black, which the kids really get into. Just find a way to complete.” Schools farther south, or with more facilities, do have an advantage, both coaches agreed. But neither was looking for an excuse as they echoed Miller’s earlier observation. It’s the hand the northernmost sports programs are dealt, Barningham remarked.

“The southern teams get more time outside, no doubt,” he said. “So that makes finding different ways to force the kids into competitive game like situations critical. Sometimes you have to simulate things like base running and reading fly balls in a gym. It’s harder to do. But that’s part of living in the Northwoods.”