Not the start some had in mind
It’s understandable why some athletic directors might be losing a little bit of sleep.
Especially during the start of spring sports in this area.
Whether it be rain, or snow, or other reasons, the start of the spring sports season hasn’t quite been what anyone anticipated.
SOME TEAMS have taken the field, with Coeur d’Alene High even moving a scheduled home baseball game against Mead to the Tri-Cities last week just to get the game in.
The game went great with the Vikings winning 6-5, but the trip home wasn’t as successful.
While traveling home, the team’s bus broke down. But the team eventually got home, around 3:30 in the morning before turning around and going to school and having a late practice the following day. A few days later, Coeur d’Alene traveled for a doubleheader against Walla Walla on Friday, winning the second game after not playing well in the opener.
“We just didn’t get off the bus very well, and maybe the guys were a little worn out after Tuesday’s game,” Coeur d’Alene coach Nick Mahin said. “We just couldn’t pull it out. But we came back and got a good team win in the second game.”
For Timberlake, and its first-year coach Cameron Knigge, the Tigers could only wish to be on a field right now.
Timberlake had its first eight games — three games at Orofino, a home doubleheader against Sandpoint, a single game at Riverside and a doubleheader at Clarkston — all rained out.
The Tigers will look to get on the field at Moscow in a single game on Friday, then host St. Maries in a doubleheader on Saturday. That is, weather permitting.
TALKING TO a coach a few weeks ago, he suggested starting a Wiffle Ball league for some of the area baseball teams so they could get their games in.
He might not be too far off with that idea.
Granted, it will take a few more days for the weather to improve to the point where teams can get outside on a consistent basis. By now, most teams know how to track a baseball inside a gymnasium, but getting used to the sun, wind and the elements outside is another matter.
Another coach mentioned that those teams in the southern part of the state could have a bit of an advantage when it comes to who starts when outside.
Whether it be golf, where some courses are beginning to open slowly but starting to open, or baseball and softball, it could be accurate.
All you’ve got to do is look back to last year’s state baseball and softball tournaments, with some teams in softball only getting one game in before having their tournament ended due to the conditions.
And who knows, maybe playing in a little bit of rain or cold weather could benefit these kids when that time comes again.
Players might as well enjoy the rest now.
Because when the weather gets better, they might not get much time for that again.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.