Spring sports may have come to St. Olaf, but nice spring weather certainly has not. While everyone on campus seems to be frustrated by the fleeting warm weather and continued chance of freez- ing rain, athletes experience this weather in an entirely different way. St. Olaf spring sports, including golf, tennis, softball, baseball, and track, all rely on warm weather in order to perform their sport with consistency. The unfortunate barrage of freezing temperatures and rain has led to cancellation or delay of multiple sporting events St. Olaf athletes were scheduled to participate in so far this season.
St. Olaf golfer Kadyn Triebenbach ’25 indicated how the weather has impacted the start of their season. “This past weekend [of April 15-16] we had the second day of our two day tournament canceled because it was cold and snowing,” said Triebenbach. “We did play in the wind, rain, and cold on Saturday, which was not enjoy- able with the many layers we had to wear in comparison to the skirts and sleeveless shirts we wore to practice all week.”
St. Olaf baseball and soft- ball have also had to cancel parts of their season.
“So far, we’ve had to reschedule five of our 11 MIAC double- headers due to weather. It’s tough, especially because there are strict MIAC rules about when we are allowed to reschedule our games. It also causes some more academic stress, because when we resched- ule games for weekdays it means we usually have to miss class and coordinate more with our professors. It’s sometimes hard to plan ahead as well because we never know what the weather is going to be like and we try to wait until as late as possible to reschedule our games since it is a hassle to figure out logistically.” Said Ole softball player Hannah Peschel ’24. For many athletes, especially those in their last sea- son, this loss of time is invaluable.
Team practices have also been impacted by the weather. “When the temperatures fluctuate, as we have seen them do, it causes the wind to be nastier. You can imagine how that would impact the flight of a little ball through the air,” said Triebanbach.
Although the athletes are impacted in every part of their sport it hasn’t meant they have given up. Triebenbach also said “[The re- cent weather] makes practicing and playing harder, but some- thing that you have to adjust to like other weather-related things, like having to wear more layers causing movement restriction because of the cold”. Peschel also added to the sentiment: “For training/practices, the weather hasn’t impacted it too much. We have had to practice outside in the cold a bit, but we’re able to layer up and still practice.” Track team member Samuel Gwin ’25 also said the weather has not stopped their practices. “Running in rain is dramatic, and we all complain about the downpour but love the adrenaline. [The weather] makes us run back and forth between Tostrud and Porter, but other than that, nothing rough.”
Despite the disturbances of the weather, it appears Ole athletes simply want to play their sport, even in the rain. “We are looking forward to our next two weekends of tournaments and hoping it continues to get warmer and less windy! So here’s to four layers and hot hands! If you are interested in a nice walk and supporting Ole golfers, come to Willingers Golf Club for our home tournament!” Finished Triebenbach. Ole softball and track also have events coming up that are scheduled to continue as planned.
Alli Hering is a senior social studies education and political science major from Apple Valley, MN. It is common to run into Alli outside or in the cage reading books instead of doing classwork. She also is a avid sports fan and loves trying new sports and activities! In the future, Alli hopes to combine her passion for writing and politics in the education realm.