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Football is renowned for its stories of braving the elements, whether that means "Bear Weather" in Chicago or the legendary "Ice Bowl" in Green Bay. But windy and cold high school sports in northern Illinois happen most in the season of rebirth.
“People talk about football weather, but I’ve coached baseball games that are way colder than any football game I coached in my 10 years of football at Harlem,” said Scott McCloy, who is now Harlem’s baseball coach. “In baseball, we coach in rain, cold and sleet. That’s the only way you can get your games in.”
Baseball, softball, boys tennis and girls soccer play weather roulette as spring sports in Rockford. Harlem opened its baseball season playing on a sunny 68-degree day on March 18. The next day dropped to 44 degrees. Only six of the next 31 eligible days to play (not counting Sundays) were above 60.
“There’s not a bigger disparity between fall and spring sports and the way they start,” said Tracy Palmer, who coaches girls tennis at Auburn in the fall and boys tennis in the spring. “Ninety degrees for one and snow for the other."
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The wind — especially in tennis — can be the worst. It makes it feel so much colder. And it also effects play. There have been frequent days this year with winds above 20 mph. No surprise, since March (with an average wind speed of 9.1 mph) and April (9.2) are the two windiest months of the year in northern Illinois.
“It’s not conducive weather for sports," Palmer said. "But you have to find a way to enjoy it. If you don’t, the other kid will find a way to enjoy it better than you.”
And schools don't call off a game (or match) because it’s too windy. The next day will likely be just as bad. Or, worse, it might rain; April and May are two of the five rainiest months of the year in Rockford.
“We’re not playing in ideal situations,” Harlem’s McCloy said. “Most coaches will play in anything above 35. It’s mostly about the wind in the early spring. It can be brutal up here.”
The later the season gets, the more it warms up. But starting next year, the IHSA will end large-school seasons for baseball and softball one week earlier as part of a move to make all four classes play at state the same weekend.
“We’re getting screwed out of a week next year,” Hononegah softball coach Dennis McKinney said. “A lot of people are frustrated. Downstate they can play outdoors in March. Here, we have our mittens and coats on.”
And yet this year has actually been better than most. Not warm. Not comfortable. But generally playable. Most baseball teams have only had to reschedule or cancel a couple of games.
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“It’s not as many as you would think, but it’s been windy, cold, blustery every single day,” Lena-Winslow baseball coach Nick Werhane said. “It beats on you the whole time.”
At least no one uses wood bats any more. Remember how much it used to hurt to take a pitch off the fists with a wood bat in the cold?
“That would suck for sure,” Le-Win pitcher Cass Maverick said. “That would not be fun.
“The cold can make it hard, but we just want to be outside. You just want to get out there and play.”
That seems to be the common sentiment. Good weather doesn’t make sports fun. Sports are their own fun, no matter the weather.
“Even when it’s cold, you can’t complain,” Hononegah first baseman Nick Santis said. “You and the other team are both in the same conditions. I just love being out here, playing baseball and competing with everyone.”
Sure, it's fun to play. But it's more fun to play in good weather. Indoor sports never have to worry about that. Fall sports start with some of the best weather of the year. Spring athletes aren't blind; they know they get stuck with the worst conditions of any high school athletes.
"It's either raining, snowing or just really cold," Hononegah softball center fielder Peyton Klikno said. "It kind of stinks. I do get jealous. All the fall sports get nice weather. They don't have to worry about freezing every game or having games cancelled. For us, something with the weather changes all the time."
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Why cold, wind and rain are also opponents in spring sports
Continue reading...
“People talk about football weather, but I’ve coached baseball games that are way colder than any football game I coached in my 10 years of football at Harlem,” said Scott McCloy, who is now Harlem’s baseball coach. “In baseball, we coach in rain, cold and sleet. That’s the only way you can get your games in.”
Baseball, softball, boys tennis and girls soccer play weather roulette as spring sports in Rockford. Harlem opened its baseball season playing on a sunny 68-degree day on March 18. The next day dropped to 44 degrees. Only six of the next 31 eligible days to play (not counting Sundays) were above 60.
“There’s not a bigger disparity between fall and spring sports and the way they start,” said Tracy Palmer, who coaches girls tennis at Auburn in the fall and boys tennis in the spring. “Ninety degrees for one and snow for the other."
More: Why college signing days might mean less but are more popular and enjoyable than ever
The wind — especially in tennis — can be the worst. It makes it feel so much colder. And it also effects play. There have been frequent days this year with winds above 20 mph. No surprise, since March (with an average wind speed of 9.1 mph) and April (9.2) are the two windiest months of the year in northern Illinois.
“It’s not conducive weather for sports," Palmer said. "But you have to find a way to enjoy it. If you don’t, the other kid will find a way to enjoy it better than you.”
And schools don't call off a game (or match) because it’s too windy. The next day will likely be just as bad. Or, worse, it might rain; April and May are two of the five rainiest months of the year in Rockford.
“We’re not playing in ideal situations,” Harlem’s McCloy said. “Most coaches will play in anything above 35. It’s mostly about the wind in the early spring. It can be brutal up here.”
The later the season gets, the more it warms up. But starting next year, the IHSA will end large-school seasons for baseball and softball one week earlier as part of a move to make all four classes play at state the same weekend.
“We’re getting screwed out of a week next year,” Hononegah softball coach Dennis McKinney said. “A lot of people are frustrated. Downstate they can play outdoors in March. Here, we have our mittens and coats on.”
And yet this year has actually been better than most. Not warm. Not comfortable. But generally playable. Most baseball teams have only had to reschedule or cancel a couple of games.
More: 'A number can mean a lot': Why Guilford volleyball changed uniform numbers of all its players
“It’s not as many as you would think, but it’s been windy, cold, blustery every single day,” Lena-Winslow baseball coach Nick Werhane said. “It beats on you the whole time.”
At least no one uses wood bats any more. Remember how much it used to hurt to take a pitch off the fists with a wood bat in the cold?
“That would suck for sure,” Le-Win pitcher Cass Maverick said. “That would not be fun.
“The cold can make it hard, but we just want to be outside. You just want to get out there and play.”
That seems to be the common sentiment. Good weather doesn’t make sports fun. Sports are their own fun, no matter the weather.
“Even when it’s cold, you can’t complain,” Hononegah first baseman Nick Santis said. “You and the other team are both in the same conditions. I just love being out here, playing baseball and competing with everyone.”
Sure, it's fun to play. But it's more fun to play in good weather. Indoor sports never have to worry about that. Fall sports start with some of the best weather of the year. Spring athletes aren't blind; they know they get stuck with the worst conditions of any high school athletes.
"It's either raining, snowing or just really cold," Hononegah softball center fielder Peyton Klikno said. "It kind of stinks. I do get jealous. All the fall sports get nice weather. They don't have to worry about freezing every game or having games cancelled. For us, something with the weather changes all the time."
Matt Trowbridge is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @MattTrowbridge.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Why cold, wind and rain are also opponents in spring sports
Continue reading...
