By Melissa Wallace
When you think of baseball, softball, or lacrosse, catching a ball within the confines of a hot, stuffy gymnasium doesn't really come to mind.
What does come to mind are sunny skies with a light breeze at your back as you watch that ball nestle into your glove or stick.
But the reality is, going to a college in northeast means the weather (and playing) conditions aren't going to be ideal. Spring sports like baseball, softball, and lacrosse are forced to practice inside before and even during their seasons, in order to cope with Mother Nature during her moodiest time of the year.
The weather conditions at The College of New Jersey have been rough to say the least, especially dealing with the aftermath of the chaotic blizzard of 2010. But the athletic teams continue to focus only on what they control and have managed to maintain a positive outlook as they prepare for their upcoming seasons.
“The team is only affected if you let that happen,” said Dean Glus, head coach of the men's baseball team, “We will change a drill to make it work inside on a wood floor and change it back when we are playing on grass.”
Glus stresses the fundamentals of the game, which he says, carries over into how the team is able to execute –a leading factor in the team's success. It's his belief that practicing inside allows the team to focus on the fundamentals for each position and each skill.
“The players are very sound in their fundamentals,” said Glus, “Which leads to having a good season and a lot of fun.”
The athletes have also been approaching indoor practices with a “glass is half-full” mentality.
“Even though our sport is an outdoor sport, being stuck inside doesn't affect our attitudes,” said Kathleen Notos, a sophomore on the women's lacrosse team, “We all just want to play, we are all just as competitive inside.”
Notos says that the hardest part about training indoors isn't dealing with the weather, it's coping with the practice times. Being forced to practice indoors means reduced training sessions practicing for maybe an hour and a half in the Recreation Center, as opposed to the usual three hours the team would get if they were outdoors on the turf.
Practicing indoors does have its positives, says Notos. She adds that Sharon Pfluger, the women's
lacrosse head coach, is able to thoroughly explain certain drills without having to deal with frigid temperatures as if they were practicing outside. Lacrosse practices outside if the temperature is above 35 degrees, and sometimes even when the thermostat reading slips below that number.
But the women's lacrosse team makes it work indoors. They bring out collapsible nets and then put tape on the ground to create the lines that are needed to play with, somewhat replicating the outdoor turf.
“We adjust very well to playing indoors and we go just as hard as if we were outdoors,” said Notos, “I think we still receive the necessary preparation to be ready for our first game in March.”
While the imagery of sunshine and open fields will have to be put on hold for a while, the College's spring athletic teams continue to make it work. Essentially, they get their preparatory work in regardless of the circumstances. After all, it's for the love of the game. And it's the taste of success and victory that makes every pass, every run, and every catch worth it in the end.
