The sudden end comes with its own rewards
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There’s almost a sadness to the end of spring sports. It just seems that of all the sports seasons, the spring sports athletes don’t get a full dose of fun.
Just when everything gets going, the season-ending state tournaments come rushing at you like a freight train in a dark tunnel.
The weather drives so much of that feeling. Each week since April it seems track, tennis and softball athletes have had to slog through inclement weather that has at times been as big a challenge as their opponents. And each week I’ve hoped that that cold, messy, early spring weather may be out of the way.
Last weekend that warm spring weather finally broke through in Northwest Montana, just in time for divisional track and tennis and the last of the regular season softball games. Despite a miserable forecast that predicted consistent rain showers would blanket the area, the showers stayed away for the most part. Even the high winds were tempered, leaving a beautiful weekend to finish off the next-to-the-last weekend of high school sports.
Kalispell, where tennis was played, went from breezy but tolerable on Thursday to gorgeous on Friday. In Libby at the divisional track meet on Friday and Saturday partly cloudy skies had everyone peeling off sweats and light jackets, edging into short-sleeve weather. By the time the Polson-Libby softball game started it was definitely shorts weather, though that quickly changed at about 7 p.m. when the sun dropped behind heavy clouds for the rest of the evening.
As I sat in the bleachers waiting for Saturday’s track events to start, I basked in the warmth of the sun and wondered if I’d slathered on enough sun screen lotion. I couldn’t help but recall the last time I’d been at the track field. A month earlier the Libby Invitational track meet was dominated by ugly weather — stiff, bone-chilling breezes pelted everyone with rain and occasional graupel (small snow pellets).
It was not a pleasant experience. One of the Libby sprinters was still talking about the horrible conditions with competitors after the finish of a heat of the 100-meter dash. The slight breeze in their face on Saturday, the sprinter noted, was nothing compared to the gale force wind that blew down the track back in April.
This time around, the wind was not only tolerable it was comforting. The light breeze kept everyone cool under a warm sun, lofting the sweet scent of sun screen lotion across the track.
“Finally,” I thought as I sat in those bleachers, “Now these kids can enjoy some warm, dry weather down the stretch.”
But I also realized that the stretch is suddenly about to end. With just one week left to state competitions, the spring sports season is almost wrapped up.
And graduation is just as suddenly at hand.
We’ll be losing a bunch of very good students from our schools over the next couple of weeks. It’s a time for us to congratulate them on their many accomplishments. But it’s also a period of melancholy for me.
This weekend I will thoroughly enjoy watching seniors like Polson’s Nicole Davey compete in the final track meet of their career. But with all the Nicoles who will compete this weekend, there are also plenty of Sierra Petes to admire. Sierra is a 4.0 student and gifted athlete, especially as a sprinter. But her high school track season ended before it started when she blew out her knee during basketball season.
It was encouraging to see Sierra jogging a little around the track again, albeit briefly in Libby — she still can’t compete, but it’s nice to see her moving around without a brace. But even more impressive was to see how seriously Sierra was taking on her new responsibility this year.
She could have easily taken a sports season off and enjoyed the final two months of her junior year in high school without the extra time spent at track meets. Instead, she stayed connected with her teammates and assumed the unofficial duty of cheering on each of her teammates. Few members of the Polson girls’ track team finished competing without getting a hug, a bright smile and the enthusiastic encouragement of Sierra.
Polson coach Bob Gunderson noted that she hasn’t been able to attend practices because of the physical therapy she’s been going through, but Sierra’s presence has been an important factor in the team’s success.
“She displays a positive attitude in spite of the disappointment she must feel inside,” Gunderson explained. “We have never had all the girls together, healthy, for a state track meet. One can only wonder what might have been. Our girls are determined to do well no matter what.
“(But) whether we win state again this weekend has no bearing on whether or not our season has been successful. It has been already. These young ladies are an amazing, unselfish, bunch of athletes. Speaking for myself I have thoroughly enjoyed the ride they have taken me along on.
“Sierra has been a key ingredient to our success — hurt or not. I hope that she can come back next year and finish the year — all three seasons — healthy. She deserves it.”
And, Gunderson noted, Sierra will be going to state with the team.
Sierra didn’t have to do it, of course. But it was sure appreciated. And I’d be willing to bet it helped her stay connected to her teammates, who will benefit from her presence and constant encouragement. More so, what she did was unselfishly share herself and her talents of leadership and encouragement with others.
Forget about the gorgeous weather. That selfless attitude might be the most beautiful part of the whole spring sports season.
I’ve missed seeing Sierra compete on the sports field, but I sure look forward to watching her return next year as a senior, as well as eventually take that winning attitude into the bigger the game of life.
