Steve Frey
Columnist
Guess what started this week? If you are a tennis topspin-serving Bobcat, a baseball batting Blue Demon, or a softball slugging Cougar it is something you have been itching all winter to begin: the spring sports season!
Yes, spring sports teams have begun practicing and all of the high schools in our area are loosening up for the first games in March leading, hopefully, to a chance at regional play and beyond in May.
Spring is a time of renewal, and as the sun gets stronger and the days get longer, there is no better time to be outside playing.
Fall is fine, but as the season goes on, the weather deteriorates drastically and, sooner or later, you’re freezing, unless of course, you are continually running at full speed.
I am probably extremely biased because years ago, as a JV football coach, I had to go out and scout the next varsity opponent and chart the X’s and O’s for every play, every Friday night. I remember many late fall nights sitting in the stands not knowing a single soul, inevitably freezing and soaked by the rain.
Winter sports are fun, too, but, having played basketball in high school, I can remember the long road trips, walking home from practice with wet and slowly freezing hair after a shower, and the long length of the season.
It always seemed like that season was twice as long as the other two. It probably had to do with seasonal light disorder issues or something!
Sure, fall and winter sports are great, and I really enjoy them; especially when I can be warm and dry (I know, what a wimp, right?). However, in my humble opinion, they can’t compare with spring.
I played baseball in high school, and I remember having tryouts in the gym because the weather was still too nasty to get outside.
Anyone who has tried to catch grounders off of a wooden gym floor will tell you that it’s great if you get a good bounce, but the ball will skip off the floor and can be tricky to field, especially if you value your front teeth.
When you do get outside, you have some cold days at first, and the bat will often “sting” your cold hands during batting practice.
Every day, however, gets a little warmer, the sun stays out a little longer, the infield grounders are usually surer, the batting sting is gone and you feel like you are an integral part of a grand rebirth as Mother Nature turns the world from gray to green, and lucky you have a daily front row seat.
March does sometimes come in like a lion around here, but soon we settle into those sunny afternoons in the low to mid-seventies that seem to run right through April.
Yes, when the sun begins to go down you feel a sudden chill in the air, but even that begins to dissipate as spring rolls along.
I was also a high school tennis coach, and there was nothing better than getting outside in springtime’s late afternoon warmth. In those days and in that league in Southside Virginia, coaches couldn’t talk with players during matches as a league rule. The idea was that tennis, a game of intense concentration, required the avoidance of anything that might disrupt play or distract the players, although pro players like John “YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME!” McEnroe did not exactly stay as quiet as church mice while they played.
However, during matches, I would get a good seat in the sun, chart and keep notes on the players for future discussion, and, aside from fetching the occasional errant tennis ball and pre- or post-match pep/strategy talk, enjoyed the beautiful spring afternoons.
We did very well, so most of the time it was just a very relaxing day of sun and tennis. Life was good as a tennis coach in those days!
Let’s take just a moment and shift the focus from high school spring sports though, and to, well, the rest of us! Spring can be a time of rebirth for us, too!
Now would be a great time to start that walking program we’ve been planning as a continuation of our…ahem…New Year’s Resolutions.
This is a wonderful time of year for a hike along the trail at Bisset Park, the Huckleberry Trail, the New River Trail, through Wildwood Park, or even the Cascades.
Studies have shown that walking through the woods or in nature is as relaxing as spending time meditating to help lower stress and bring back focus.
You can get in shape, relieve stress, get a little vitamin D from the sunshine and, if you go with someone else, solve all the problems of the world within a half-hour walk.
On the other hand, you can also get away from all the problems of the world for a few minutes, especially if you can somehow manage to turn off your phone!
I know the golfers are ready to go!
They’ve packed their stocking-stuffer golf balls in their bags, cleaned off their drivers from last fall, and have been chipping in the backyard on any decent day since January.
My grandma called golf, “cow pasture pool,” but that was probably a biased opinion. I like golf, and I do get a lot of exercise when I play, but I don’t play enough to be consistently good at it.
If the hole is 400 yards away, I’ll hit one ball 150 yards to the left, the next one 150 yards to the right, and so on down the fairway (Or in a neighboring fairway!), so I might walk 1200 yards on that 400 yard hole (That’s where the exercise comes in.).
But heck, on the next hole I might get a birdie. Yeah, I’m the Forrest Gump of golf; for me, “Golf is a box of chocolates; you never know what you’ll get.”
You have lots of other choices other than hiking and golf though! Play some tennis, join a softball team, jog, bike, inline skate…the choices are endless. The goal though is to get outside and play.
If you’re lucky enough to play spring sports (or coach), whether you are a Bruin, Bobcat, or Eagle, win or lose, you are going to make memories that will last your lifetime.
You’re going to remember these bright spring days where long shadows arrive later each day. You’re also going to remember the camaraderie with your teammates and the joy of playing a sport you love.
And when you win that championship, don’t forget to pour the Gatorade on your coach. Hey, by that time it will be so warm out he’ll find it refreshing, unlike November or December.
So whether you’re 16 or 60, playing a sport or starting your spring exercise regime, have fun outside enjoying the gift of spring.
On your mark, get set, and go—play!
Steve Frey is a writer and CEO of Ascendant Educational Services based in Radford.
