With winter sports coming to a close and the days slowly extending, it can mean only one thing: the long-awaited return of spring sports. Many of the athletes have high hopes and big goals for the upcoming season. Junior Katie Banie, a mid-distance runner on the Track and Field team said,

“Individually I would love to make it to state in one of my running events. It has been a goal of mine since freshman year to make it to state in a running event and after training during the summer, fall, and winter for this season I would love to get there.” Senior Kourtney Mangan of the softball team has some big goals for the upcoming season as well, and said,

“I want to continue to improve my strikeout-to-walk ratio, and hopefully break the school record for the number of strikeouts in a season, as I was only 6 strikeouts away from this last year. I also want to make it onto one of the all conference teams.”

One thing that all spring sport athletes are familiar with is some wild weather, which is about as easy to predict as a ground ball on a bumpy infield. Junior Jacob Bonin, a baseball player said,

“The weather can be a huge factor especially in a game like baseball. It can determine whether we get to play or not. But it can also being a factor in a game that still goes on. For cold games, it can change how you’re able to grip a ball or a bat. I like to always bring a pair of long sleeves and a pair of winter gloves along just in case. And the opposite, playing a game in a scorcher can affect your ability to concentrate and focus on anything other than how hot and thirsty you are. So bring extra water and maybe even a snack along to build up the energy. And a little sunscreen never hurt anybody either!” These weather issues affect more than just baseball though. Junior Jacob Case, a sprinter and jumper on the Track and Field team said,

“Weather plays a huge role. If it is too cold outside you have to take a longer time warming up or you have to bring lots of warm clothes because if you were to run while you’re cold it could cause injury or even cause you to be slower than what you actually are.”

What is far more consistent than the weather is the excitement that the athletes have for the upcoming season and the passion that they have for their sports. Senior soccer player Eden Slimmer said,

“My favorite thing about soccer is the energy that gets put into it. Soccer is like a stress relief. I love being able to let my anger out by pushing harder to play better or run faster.” Sophomore baseball player Ben Souik said he is excited for the upcoming season because

“I feel like we have solid leadership from our upperclassmen and great team chemistry. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this group of guys.”

The spring season is off to a great start so far. Softball has won its first two games with scores of 4-3 against Whitefish Bay and 18-1 against Plymouth. The Track and Field team has also had some early success with the boys and girls finishing third and twelfth respectively at the Raider Invite and both winning the home meet against Milwaukee Reagan Prep, Reedsville, Sheboygan Falls, and Two Rivers. Three school records have also been broken so far this indoor season. Baseball and Girls’ Soccer both began practice this week, boys tennis starts on March 27, and boys golf on March 28. It is time for the rest of the school to join in on the excitement and go to support the spring sports teams.