Every time I see Activities Director Dan Stork these days, he’s shaking his head and looking at calendars. It’s been a crazy spring when it comes to athletics and just life in general. (Picture every local farmer nodding and agreeing!)
Last week, the Swami postulated that Minnesota should consider summer baseball like in Iowa. Way to steal my idea, Kugie! Anyway, I’d like to expand on that notion.
Let’s start with spring sports and then expand throughout the entire year. 2012 was an aberration when it came to weather.
I umpired a game on March 30, 2012, the earliest day you could possibly play a game. This year, I’ve had one game and suffered through some cold weather and a lot of mud.
Most years, the spring sports schedule has events the first week of April. Most years, those events are rescheduled. Why do we even try?
Rather, why not start baseball and softball in April? Spend a couple weeks getting ready, and then begin events in May.
The playoffs could begin toward the end of June for baseball and softball. Take a break before section championships over the Fourth of July. This will give teams an opportunity to have their best lineups on the field for the biggest games. Wrap up the state tournament in mid-July.
With this idea, you could play more games and give kids more of an opportunity to develop over the years.
Of course, there would be headaches with transportation once school is out, among other issues. But from a purely sports-minded point of view, it would be ideal.
It’s unfortunate, but Legion baseball is dying in many areas. Many Legion posts aren’t able to support a team anymore, so it makes sense to combine the school and summer seasons.
Track coach Duey Ferber told me he wouldn’t want to move his season. However, tracks can be run on earlier than ball fields, and they can go indoors at MSU, so weather doesn’t have quite the same impact.
Now let’s take things a step further. You could look at the rest of the activities schedule from a couple of angles. One would be to leave fall sports where they are, as well as winter sports. Basketball tournaments wrap up in mid-March, giving players a chance to catch their breath. It would also be a great opportunity for the arts to step in, specifically school plays.
The directors of Bye Bye Birdie have been frantically working around sports schedules to get in rehearsals and prepare for the show. This would give them a bigger window to prepare a show, and everyone would benefit. While the performance I saw last week was exceptional, I’m sure all involved would have liked a consistent schedule without worrying as much about athletics.
You could also look at the possibility of not starting winter sports until after the Prep Bowl at Thanksgiving. Most players (unless you were in the state championship) would get a break before the grind of winter sports. The state tournaments would be pushed back to the end of March, still giving players a short break before spring sports.
With this, you could also look at the potential of a play in November, or still keep it in March/April. Either way, students get a better chance to be student-athletes, and Mr. Stork gets a chance to breathe a little easier.
On a side note, I’ve had the chance to meet so many people who want to comment about my column. I enjoy those interactions, whether the reactions are positive or negative. My loyal readers have seen that I will take requests as well, so if you really want to have me write about something, please contact me, and I’ll do my best to keep providing you something to at least think about every week, whether you agree or not!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is mendacious, which means untruthful, as in, “The mendacious student told the teacher the computer ate his homework.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!