OK, the March basketball madness is almost over and the spring sports season is officially upon us.
As a complete sidelight, anyone who claims perfect brackets after all the amazing surprises, or worse yet, gives you a “yeah, I called the Final Four perfectly” should be immediately sent to sports purgatory – which ideally involves something like 48 would spend hours in a closed room watching nothing but referee replays.
Getting to the heart of the matter, if you happen to stray onto the sports websites of any of our local high schools, you’ll find that the number of fall and winter sports available pales in comparison to this time of year – the spring awakening.
Badminton, Baseball, Boys Athletics, Girls Athletics, Boys Gymnastics, Girls Soccer, Boys Volleyball, Boys Water Polo, Girls Water Polo, Girls Softball, Boys Tennis, Boys Lacrosse and Girls Lacrosse, all of them taking place at the same time The busy spring season is enough to keep any sports director up at night.
What I find interesting is that each of these sports has its own unique routines, skills, strategies and, perhaps most importantly, atmosphere surrounding it.
‘Atmosphere’ is of course a bit difficult to quantify, but we’ll do our best by providing the breakdown by sport below:
badminton
High school badminton is loud, active, with multiple games at once. As a fan, it’s a little difficult to keep track of exactly who’s winning, especially during the major multi-team Invitationals, which can create a confusion quotient strikingly similar to lane-closure traffic during a busy Chicago rush hour.
But the competition is serious here. This isn’t your neighbor’s fun backyard version of badminton, but a classic combination of mental strategy, skill, psychology and court awareness.
baseball
What I love about high school baseball is the unpredictability. When you watch major league baseball, a flyball or groundball is usually pretty routine. Not so in high school baseball, where the teams that win make those games, but the youth of the players means those games are far from “routine.” This unpredictability adds to the excitement and enjoyment of the games.
Also unique to the area are the “wrens,” the crowds of fans and parents (and struggling sportswriters) who lean on the fence and stand up to watch the entire game. It’s often a better choice than sitting in the cold-conductive metal stands, and it’s also kind of fun when fans band together as they watch the game over the wire fence.
boys gymnastics
I never cease to be amazed by the combination of skill, power, and dramatic presentation of high school gymnasts. The flair, expertise, balance and power these guys perform with is so impressive. And all this alone, because there are no doubles or team competitions in gymnastics. (Although, come to think of it, doubles competitions on rings or parallel bars could actually be a pretty interesting concept.)
One final thought about gymnastics: I can’t imagine the pressure to perform in a state or convention competition. Each participant has only one chance, one routine. If you slip or make a mistake, you’re out. Compare it to basketball, where you can miss a shot, or baseball, where you can hit and have many more opportunities for redemption. No such luck in gymnastics.
lacrosse
The spirit, physicality, camaraderie, and spirit of play are showcased in high school lacrosse, arguably the fastest growing of all high school-level sports.
Lacrosse has its own unique vibe. Athletes tend to have an advantage as they benefit from the physical nature of the game and rivalries between schools have become very intense over the years.
Add to this the occasional uneasiness of parents of both teams standing on the same touchline watching the action up close and personal, which only adds to the color and at times even volatility of this sport.
soft ball
Athletes in this sport need to be quick and precise to be successful. The bases are short, so on a groundball, a tiny wobble or slip often means the runner is safe. There’s no room for error.
Likewise for hitters trying to knock off top pitchers who fire the ball from far too close a distance of 43 feet. A fast racquet, precise eye contact, and tremendous eye-hand coordination are all required to get the racquet on the ball.
The fanbase in the girls’ softball stands can be loyal and intense — but also cold in these preseason games!
girls soccer
Tag me as a big fan here. High school soccer is one of the most underrated sports. Girls football is played at such a high level these days thanks to so much off-season work, club play, travel teams etc. it’s really fun to watch.
There aren’t many intentional, slow passes like we see in World Cup football. Instead, most girls high school soccer games are free-flowing ups and downs. Fans particularly enjoy the action in the stands, fueled by the fact that soccer has very few stoppages.
athletics
Underrated and unsung as a high school sport to watch. Yes, the meetings may last longer than a Senate filibuster, but the raw athleticism, purity of competition, and variety of events make it one of the “Try it, you’ll like it!” kind of sports.
Each event has its unique abilities, from the power and speed of the sprinters, the competitiveness of the middle-distance runners, to the long-term, badass nature of the long-distance runners, not to mention the almost acrobatic combination of speed and skill of the hurdlers.
Boys Volleyball
Here you’ll find fast-moving, fast-paced, intense games with a wonderfully delicious combination of knee-jerk athleticism (think diving to save well-placed shots about to hit the ground) and power (the spikes, the blocks! ).
It usually attracts quite a lot of spectators, the game action is fast and intense, and the spirit of the players is uninterrupted. After each point – win or lose – the players come together for a short chat, encouragement, etc. The boy game has skyrocketed in skill and popularity in recent years.
water polo
I’m still trying to understand this sport, but I know the crowd and atmosphere tend to be reserved and gentle – almost too well-behaved. Maybe it’s because many parents don’t know all the rules and strategies, making it difficult to yell at the players, coaches or officials.
Also note that the aforementioned “fatigue” and well-behaved part of this sport begins and ends at the line where the water drains. As we all know (or have heard), the action beneath the surface in water polo is a whole different story. This is where sportsmanship and camaraderie take a step back, and the “anything goes” physical nature of the sport takes center stage.
boys tennis
Fans and players have to endure the cold and wind of the early games. You can often see tennis parents keeping warm under blankets and other blankets. Tennis fans are usually very athletic, clapping and cheering on good shots from both sides.
Interestingly, tennis spectators are a little further away from the action as they are separated by fences and often see a game a little far from the court they might be watching.
Whatever and whenever, most of these great spring sports are well underway, so here’s your strong encouragement to get out there now and watch these hard-working athletes. It won’t be long before the all-too-soon-to-be prom, graduation, and year-end activities kick in and our attention turns elsewhere.
So enjoy the sporty focus while you can.
• Jon Cohn, from Glenview, is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and fan of preparatory sports. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email [email protected]
Comments are closed.