Cabin Fever Skyrocketing For MN HS Sports
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota high school spring sports started practice this week. But with the weather being what it is, they've been relegated indoors.
"The snow is kind of depressing," Eastview baseball coach Tom Strey said. "We can't fit a whole infield in our gym, so we have to adjust."
Yes, these teams typically start the year indoors. But this season's in the extreme.
"The difference in this year is that there's just so much snow," Eastview track and field coach Tom Sharp said. "And it's not melting."
The field at Eastview is blanketed, even though the school's supposed to start the season outdoors in exactly two weeks.
"We might not get the chance to be outside for weeks to come," Strey said.
And with so many teams needing gym time, it comes at a premium.
"That's the big issue," Bloomington Jefferson softball coach Fred Wroge said. "And you feel bad for the athletic directors all over the state because they only have so much space. And everybody wants a piece of the action and nobody wants to practice at 7 p.m. at night."
That's when the Eastview baseball team gets it. Track has locked up the prime time right after school.
"Even though we might get outside in two weeks, the city or the school district might not let us on the field because it's still wet," Wroge said. "They don't want us tearing up the field."
Eastview first baseman hopes to possibly be playing at the start of April.
"But I don't think we'll be able to," he said.
Many teams take trips to places such as Florida during spring break in order to get some outdoor work in.
If the season does start late, games won't be canceled, it'll just mean more games each week to cram them all in.
