Weather ALERT!

What's the old saying, "April showers bring May flowers?" Well, isn't that just great. We've been cooped up indoors since November, itching to get back outside and now there's the tumultuous spring weather. It brings unpredictable amounts of rain along with temperatures that go up and down like a kid on a pogo stick. Naturally, Mother Nature has quite an impact on high school sports, especially when it comes to schedules. We asked Central Indiana athletic directors and spring sports coaches how they adjust, what steps they take and what the overall plan is when the skies won't cooperate. HSSTM: Spring can be a crazy time of year weather-wise. How do you adjust schedules when it becomes a factor? Ryan Nickoli, Tri-West athletic director: Scheduling can be an absolute nightmare. The difficult part is that you are not only dealing with your schedule, but your opponent's; it becomes very difficult to find openings in the two schedules that match. Andy Gossel, Covenant Christian AD: We bring all of our teams in, for indoor practice. We set up a rotation schedule for the gyms, sometimes using hallway space for sprinters, or hand drills for baseball and softball. Jim Self, Hamilton Southeastern co-AD: I know in the spring time the local weather channel is saved as a favorite Web site on our internet and having that local radar on your cell phone is nice. You just do the best you can to get the game or contest in. Jon Zwitt, Center Grove AD: We do the best we can and fit games in without burdening the athletes with game after game after game. HSSTM: But how does preparation change for a coach if weather is a factor and you end up playing the game? Ken Rhoden, Martinsville softball coach: If conditions are safe, we will go ahead and practice in inclement weather to simulate a possible game situation - which is always a plus. However, we never take unnecessary chances with our players. Eric Lentz, Carmel baseball coach: The biggest thing we tell our players is that you must be prepared to go outside. Baseball is an outdoor sport and the mindset is that we must prepare for any type of condition. We feel like this develops mental toughness and a readiness to play in any condition. HSSTM: Is it frustrating to have to work around the weather so much, with such little time to fit games and events of various sports in? John Broughton, Pendleton Heights AD: We have only two months to play all of these games - there are only a handful of dates in April and May when there is not a baseball or softball game. And one of the most difficult events to put on is a large track meet - it is very time consuming to seed each event (thank goodness for computers). Lentz: We have been pretty fortunate that our field takes a lot of water, and many times games have been moved to Hartman Field just so we can play the game. Zwitt: We want to keep our students safe, but when games are canceled based on a weatherman's prediction and then the sun pops out at 4 p.m., it can be very frustrating and disappointing to the teams. Self: It is frustrating, but it is Indiana and weather is going to be a factor. The good news the schools you compete against are in the same boat. Athletic directors are great to work with, and you work together to get the contests rescheduled. Nickoli: The difficulty comes when the forecast is for rain in the afternoon and you're waiting to see how much - and if it comes at all. Steve Hurst, Noblesville AD: It becomes organized chaos between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. when our students are dismissed from class. I can easily spend 60 percent of my day cancelling, rescheduling, and reorganizing events. HSSTM: Do you try to plan in advance? Meaning, do you go into spring sports with a few backup dates already in mind? Self: The make-up with the schools is not difficult; there are days you spend a great deal of time finding officials/umpires that are available. Remember, every other school in the area is trying to make games as well. Broughton: The most difficult decision to make is do you send the bus, hold the bus, call the bus back, let it go, only to arrive at the destination and then get cancelled due to rain? No matter what you do, you will be criticized. And, as athletic director, you are concerned about scheduling the game. The baseball coach is concerned about the pitching rotation and how to win the game. Therefore, the baseball coach and I work to come up with the best plan we can to make up the game. HSSTM: For the coaches, what if your team happens to go through a particularly long stretch without playing? How do you maintain focus among your athletes? Pat O'Neil, Brownsburg baseball coach: Players are always eager to play, so we challenge them with drills while indoors and work on bunt coverage, pick-offs, run downs, that sort of thing. Clark Reeves, Avon baseball coach: We just practice and try to get better. We may take a day off and let the players be a kid for a day or simply change our routine and have a little fun. Rhoden: It is nearly impossible [to maintain focus]. It's like starting all over. When you are so used to playing on a regular basis a long layoff affects timing and your competitive focus. We try to play competitive drills to keep our drive and focus. Lentz: The most difficult thing about practice inside is focus. If you have been outside for a long time and have to go back inside for practice it takes some time to adjust. HSSTM: Obviously, the safety of student-athletes is the primary concern. For the AD's, is there a tipping point in the decision-making process? Jim Brown, Fishers Co-AD: Sometimes you have to rely on the weather man to get your information to make a decision - and we all know how accurate they are. After you make a decision you have to accept that you made the right decision and live with it. You can't spend the rest of the evening second guessing yourself wondering if you could have played. Self: The other thing you have to give thought to is your event workers, they are out there in the elements and you try to make sure you take care of them. You need them to work again - you do not want to run them off. Zwitt: If lightning is not a factor, we usually call games for fields being unplayable, temperatures below 40-45 degrees, wind chill, tornado-like activity headed our direction, ice or snow. Broughton: Track is cancelled only with lightning (sometimes the athletes and even the coaches want to run in the rain). After all, it is an all-weather track! HSSTM: If a game or an event is played in under soggy field conditions, what adjustments do you make as coaches? What do you tell your team? Reeves: I think in baseball, fighting the cold is worse than the rain. So we want to make sure players dress properly and take care of themselves. Lentz: The best thing you can stress to your players is to be prepared to play in all types of conditions. Developing that mental toughness and focus to play in all weather conditions will help to instill an inner confidence in your players and lead to success in playing in inclement weather. Rhoden: We talk about being mentally prepared to deal with the conditions. It's all in preparation and understanding that we know what to expect. HSSTM: With all that's been said about the challenges that go into planning and executing spring sports, do you look forward to this season? Zwitt: Yes. Although some days can be a real hassle, I am looking forward to some spring-like weather! Self: With the way the weather is in the spring time, I think it really makes you appreciate when it is 65-70 degrees - when the sun is shining and the birds are singing.