Mother Nature and Old Man Winter have altered the high school spring sports calendar

The first day of spring has come and gone, but the start of spring sports has taken a different route. With first practices kicking off indoors, no thanks to the mountains of snow.

“Their spirits are up good still, but as a coach, I am concerned that after a period of time, that’s going to change if you’re still inside. So, the way things are looking, it’s just something we’re just going to have to work with. But right now, the girls are still happy to just be able to look at a softball season coming up,” said Superior High School Head Softball Coach Mike Sather.

Even with snow-packed inches high on fields, practicing indoors provides players and coaches time to go back to the basics of these sports.

“The fundamentals I mean, you get a good dose of fundamentals which will carry over into the season. Hopefully, it will improve offensively, defensively, pitching, and whatever. So that’s always a positive.”

What Mother Nature delivers will really have an impact on how soon teams can play outside. But until then, some are taking snow removal into their own hands as Sather shares Superior will handle their fields.

“What we’ve done in the past, and we’ll do it this year is eventually, they’ll come out with they got a couple of really big snow blowers. They’ll blow some paths through the snow and stuff, and that creates an area where the sun will start beating down on the plowed paths and start warming up the turf.”

In Cloquet, Kiminski Paving donated their time and resources to clear out Braun Park, hoping to get players on the field sooner.

In Duluth, teams like Duluth Marshall are doing the same thing, staying warm indoors while getting ready for when they step out on the field. “We’re used to this! For folks that have been born and raised here, this is what we deal with in northern Minnesota. It’s just part of the game living up here. We’re going to deal with snow some years, we’re going to get out early, and some years we’re not; and so we’re used to it,” Hilltoppers Head Coach Nick Garramone shared.

For players, it’s really just about getting out there to play. “I think it’s going to be exciting, and I think a lot of guys on the team are excited for the future of this team. Since we’re so young, having a lot of success and having a good time,” sophomore pitcher and outfield Owen Marsolek expresses.