As the winter sports season wrapped up, many athletes began looking forward to their Spring sport. However, in Minnesota, athletes must deal with numerous delays in training and games while the snow melts.

Winter 2022-23 has been one of the wettest winters on record, according to Bring Me the News and meteorologist Sven Sundgaard.

“We received 6.45 inches of precipitation…which is a whopping 3.53 inches above normal,” Sundgaard documented.  

 Despite the weather delays, coaches at SFHS are positive about their upcoming seasons. 

“It’s looking pretty good,” said track throwing coach Amanda Anderson. “We have over 100 student athletes right now signed up for track, which is the biggest number we have had in a long time from what I have heard. So hopefully the more the merrier. Hopefully we have a lot of success this season.” 

Her colleague Mike Bremer, who coaches distance track agreed. 

“This season is looking very positive and very optimistic,” said Bremer. “We have a lot of growth getting new kids in and I encourage anyone that wants to try to come out. This is going to be a really good season.” 

Softball coach Sharon Bergman is also hopeful.

“ We have been a really young team for a couple years. We are very competitive this year and have a lot of returning players,” said Bergman. “I’m going to call it that we are going to be really good this year”

Baseball faces the challenge of having lost a lot of pitching talent from last year. 

“We are going to have to build our pitching back up,” said head baseball coach Luke Scardigli. “We are excited about some of our returning players in the field and we are excited about some of our younger players as well, who are a year older and stronger.”

Scardigli still thinks it will be a good team who will hit the ball well and play better defense.

As for training spring sports in winter weather conditions, the coaches have planned for compromises.

“Right now at the beginning of the track season these first three days we are just doing stations. The track athletes are moving around to these different spots for overall athletic stuff,” said Anderson. “Doing prehab stuff to prevent injuries and we are doing a little education as well”. 

Bergman is resigned to the idea that they will be inside for a long time. 

“We are going to try to keep it creative and keep the girls’ interest as long as we are inside, and just hope for a quick melt,” said Bergman, “but we are going to do our best to keep the girls growing as long as we are inside.”

Scardigli also admitted that baseball will be stuck inside for a while. 

“If you haven’t looked outside we have quite a bit of snow so we are going to be stuck in the gym for quite a while and we are going to be creative as possible,” he said, “and have productive practices and fun practices to keep the kids engaged” 

Bergman is encouraged by a growing, young team. 

“Our average age was around 8th and 9th grade. And so now as the girls grow up and get older and grow into their abilities, we have been struggling, “ she said, “but we are looking forward to our future” 

Bremer is looking for the track team to grow and add some events. 

“Last year we had a lot of success in the short sprints and the throws,” he said. “We are looking to add some events to that and grow from where we were last year”

Scardigli is hoping the baseball team can make another run at state. 

“So last year for those who don’t know we went to the state tournament for the first time since 2006 as a program,” he said. “A very exciting year for us we won section 5 AAA by beating Zimmerman in the section final. We did lose in the first round of the state tournament to Mankato West in a one- nothing game, a very close game but we won in the consultation bracket and finished 6th. Super excited about how last year finished, we want to carry that momentum with us and win some baseball games.”