Once the end of February and the beginning of March rolls around, there’s only one thing on some athletes’ minds: spring sports.

Spring sports at Pattonville High School include boys’ baseball, volleyball, tennis, golf, and track and field; girls’ soccer, lacrosse, and track and field; and coed water polo. But there is always one factor that affects all of the outdoor sports: the weather.

When there is cold or rainy (and sometimes even snowy) weather, the spring sports that play and practice outside are forced to practice inside the gym and possibly have their games or matches canceled.

“I don’t like practicing inside because it gets hot and crowded in the gym,” varsity baseball player Carter Hanford said. “And taking batting practice and fielding ground balls inside just isn’t the same as it is outside on the baseball field.”

With nine different sports going on at once, space inside can be limited which can cause very cluttered spaces with many people packed in.

“When we have to practice inside, we don’t get to have much space,” freshman soccer player Lydia Goetz said. “Since we’re the lowest and youngest team [freshman girls’ soccer], we always get the last and smallest areas to practice, and we don’t have goals so we can’t do certain things such as shooting drills.”

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