With the closure of the recent winter sports season, many athletes have transitioned to spring sports. Among these at Sevastopol are girls’ soccer, track and field, softball, baseball, and golf.

“The late winter and cold, wet spring has made getting kids outside for practices and competitions challenging. Competitions have been canceled, postponed, and rescheduled in every sport,” states athletic director Brooke Tanck. “The WIAA determines all start dates; it’s always been this way.” 

Although many players are excited to begin competing again, speculations have continued surrounding why practices are beginning when athletes cannot practice in their ideal environments and have been pushed inside. These starting dates have been a policy of the WIAA for years. 

“Hitting a foam golf ball is not the same as hitting a real golf ball; you don’t get the same experience in the gym, you can’t see how far [you’ve hit], and you can’t read the green,” says junior Jordyn Welch. “I hope the weather gets better so we can get to Cherry Hills soon.” 

The first week of girls’ soccer ran from March 20th through the 24th, the same week as spring break.

“We had two-a-days every day, and everything was inside. It got pretty stuffy, and it was hard to get adequate training when we were running in hallways,” says junior Sam Herrell. “Playing soccer on a gym floor is completely different than on a field.” 

Track and Field began on March 6. Although the distance runners have been able to complete long runs outside, the road conditions have been slippery, and workouts have been delayed due to snow on the track.

“We’ve been working out inside. [It] hasn’t been the best because we don’t get to do our individual events,” says sophomore Caitlyn Hasenjager. “Events like the 300 hurdles and long jump, you don’t really get a feel of them until you’re outside working out on the track.”

 However, the weather has been warming up. As the snow melts and the sun peeks out from the clouds, athletes are becoming more optimistic about getting out on the fields and the track. Good luck to all sports this spring from the Pioneer Chips staff!