Photo Courtesy of patch.com
If you have driven by the football, baseball or softball fields recently, you may have noticed there’s not much going on out there. A new rule this semester has been set in place regarding the weather that makes practicing a little more of a challenge for the teams. Starting with the 2019 season, teams are not allowed to practice outside if the weather is under 35 degrees. This rule was decided based on the rise in students visiting the nurse and claiming sickness.
“It really makes practicing a challenge every day,” says Blake Griffin, freshman baseball player. “With us only allowed inside (when) the weather is bad, it makes it very difficult for us to have a full practice.”
Baseball, amongst all other spring sports, is having a difficult time preparing for games. With the weather being as unpredictable as it has been this season, it has been a challenge for teams to get practice time in every day. Teams have been forced to share the Mabee Center with very specific times set and minimal practice opportunities.
“It is affecting all sports practices and games. Sports that are used to playing in the cold, can’t be out there anymore,” says Sabrina Anguiano, softball GA. “Personally, I see it as a way to keep our athletes safe. You never know what could happen as far as injuries and even sickness. The guidelines will help keep our student athletes healthy, but I can also see why it can be such an inconvenience.”
The cold was caused by a weakened jet stream in the Arctic polar vortex. This affected eastern Canada, as well as the midwestern United States. The breakup of the vortex brought in multiple inches of snow, spread across several days and weeks, and a constant temperature below freezing.
Whether or not the weather will pick up and allow Ottawa athletes to reach their full potential will all be based on Mother Nature.