DENVER, CO.- APRIL16: Denver South High School's ballfields and stadium covered in snow from a spring snowstorm. (Photo By Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post) ( Kathryn Scott Osler )
AURORA -- All the state's spring athletes want is to go outside and play. But Mother Nature is saying no with pesky storms, record cold spells and infamous Rocky Mountain-area wind.From opening day early last month to being within sight of May's postseason, inclement weather is taxing the high school spring season.
No one seems to recall a worse spring for prep sports. The snow hasn't been exclusive to the mountains, where legendary totals fall in areas such as Steamboat Springs. Denver and its suburbs have endured the brunt of the snow as officials estimate more than 1,000 postponements and cancellations of prep games statewide, and more are on the way with Wednesday's snowfall.
"I can't remember anything like this in 25 years," Colorado High School Activities Association assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said.
Others can't argue.
"It's tough," ThunderRidge shortstop Brody Westmoreland said.
"Insane," said Limon baseball coach Les Layton, whose Badgers have nearly as many postponements (five) as games played (six).
"A nightmare," Highlands Ranch girls golf coach James Barker said.
In his fifth decade of coaching, Cherry Creek baseball coach Marc Johnson called it "the most challenging spring I can remember."
The state's 92nd sanctioned spring season has been in a ridiculous rut. While a fair amount of weekend competition has been completed, storms early in the weeks have backed up play like a clogged drain.
"It snows quite a bit, then you get some games in, then it snows again," Johnson said.
The weather has greatly affected six of the spring season's seven sports -- all seven when considering a few of the storms have postponed swimming and diving meets that are held indoors. But the track and field meets completed mostly were run in cold, windy weather. Ditto for girls golf and tennis. Even with girls soccer and boys and girls lacrosse having reasonable access to fields with artificial surfaces, it hasn't been a picnic.
ThunderRidge athletic director Bob Nelson said that with the series of postponements, "some programs don't want to play on grass. They want to play on turf. It makes them totally different games. Then we lose those dates. ... It's impacting more sports than normal."
As for baseball, Nelson said, "It's always a dilemma because of the dirt." It's more like mud or, frequently, frozen mud.
Northglenn baseball coach Hugo Garcia isn't alone when he says "we've been inside for more practices than outside." Dozens of teams had their first outside dates in March in the form of a game, and many are staring at five games each next week.
In addition, Denver-area nonvarsity teams have hundreds of games, meets and matches that won't be rescheduled. Covering events, including a glut of makeups, with umpires and officials has proved especially challenging. And the busiest office in any school since early March has belonged to the athletic director.
While the race is on against conflicts with prom, testing and graduation, school officials have adamantly resisted delaying the start of spring sports and scheduling games and meets into mid-June. But the weather this spring may prompt a change.
"We're all going nuts with this," Borgmann said.
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