Sandpoint spring sports coaches wonder 'who'll stop the rain'

SANDPOINT — It rained again on Wednesday in Sandpoint, and nobody knew it more than the Bulldog spring sports coaches, once again confined to practicing sports that have no earthly business being played indoors.

It felt like the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again. Rare has a day gone by where the coaches weren’t forced to look at the weather forecast, wondering if they might actually get to practice or play outside for a change.

Credence Clearwater Revival once sang “And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?” Bulldog athletic director Kris Knowles, as well as every athlete and coach, is no doubt wondering the same thing, as postponements and cancellations have wreaked havoc on the schedules.

The Daily Bee asked Knowles, Bulldog tennis coach and former University of Montana tennis player Kent Anderson, former pro pitching prospect and first year Bulldog baseball coach Chase Tigert, and former Bulldog softball standout and current head coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams about the difficulties of navigating one of the wettest springs ever, and if any cabin fever has set in.

They say all’s well that ends well, and here’s hoping the spring sports teams can cap a tough season with a strong finish as the district and state competitions near.

n What has been the biggest challenge as a coach?

ANDERSON: Teaching strong fundamentals in a gym setting is more than challenging. Tennis requires so many high level athletic attributes: eye-hand coordination, strength, power, speed, endurance, timing, exceptional eyesight, agility, strategy and intelligence to name a few. We need to be on the court in a moderately acceptable environment to touch on these requirements. The second biggest challenge is keeping the team motivated. Our practices have been confined to evenings in the middle school gym.

KNOWLES: The biggest challenge has been both practice time outside and rescheduling of events. We have been inside most of the spring which is not ideal for our athletes. All schools in the region are now crunched to get games and events in during about a three week period. I have become a part-time meteorologist each day checking radar and forecasts by the hour. We have moved, postponed and canceled 21 events this spring, and the number seems to be growing.

TIGERT: The biggest challenge has been being able to get the repetitions, looks and throwing we need. Unfortunately, we are limited to throwing about 80 feet in the gym. This makes it challenging to properly prepare everyone’s arm for the season. Not to mention, working on infield drills makes the throwing distances even shorter after you try to set-up a diamond in the gym. Ultimately, I think the biggest challenge is that practicing in the gym is very unrealistic when compared to practicing on a field.

HAWKINS-WILLIAMS: The most difficult aspect of coaching during a cold, wet spring is keeping the players motivated and focused. This is definitely a challenge for the coaches. We want to make sure the practices are engaging and challenging when we spend so much time practicing indoors. Another challenge is game experience. The teams in Southern Idaho will have played significantly more games than the teams in Northern Idaho. This is a disadvantage for the teams in Northern Idaho. It is something I see in our games now. We have typically made the mistakes we are making now in early March, which gives us more time to work on them and learn from them before the postseason starts.

n How many days have you actually been outside, able to practice/play?

ANDERSON: We’ve had about five dry practice days during the season so far. We had three additional dry days over spring break when more than half the team was unavailable. We’ve had an additional five or six practice days when we’ve literally played in the rain in 40 degree temperatures. We have not had the court time to play one true challenge match, which is a mainstay of our program.

KNOWLES: This is the worst weather spring I have seen for fields. It is a combination of a wet October/November, a big snow winter and tons a rain this spring. Our fields are just saturated and have not had time to dry out. I know our teams have tried to be creative in their practices, but there is just only so many things you can do inside.

HAWKINS-WILLIAMS: The first time we played outside was at our game at Priest River on March 21. We were able to start using our outfield for outdoor practices later that week, but we could only use the outfield area. We have used our infield less than 10 times since the end of March, including one home game against Cheney and a home doubleheader against Post Falls. So far, we have had 10 games canceled or postponed due to weather, which is more than we have played. By this time last season, we had played 14 games. We have only played seven games this season.

n Are there any positives to come out of being stuck inside?

ANDERSON: Asking kids to freeze in the rain for 2-3 hours while we attempt to teach, play and have fun is a lot to ask, especially for younger/beginner players. Many of our kids have stuck it out regardless of the obstacles. It tells me a lot about their character. Their dedication and good natured attitude has allowed me to examine my own character and grow along with them. Life is a learning-curve and we are all Symbiotically learning and growing together, coaches and players alike. Gym practices have actually been fun.

TIGERT: Absolutely. It has challenged us to persevere, to look within to find motivation, and to appreciate every opportunity we have to get on a field. I can say with absolute honesty that I am so proud of these kids. They have showed a tremendous amount of heart, hustle, and work ethic even when faced with adversity. We, as coaches, are grateful for the opportunity to work with these kids and their love of the game is evident.

n Is there any kind of cabin fever?

TIGERT: Absolutely. We’ve been in the gym for probably 95 percent of our practices since Feb. 24. Baseball is a game that’s meant to be played on a field, so it’s very challenging to stay motivated when you are stuck inside in a very small space.

HAWKINS-WILLIAMS: We feel the pressure as coaches to get our players ready! It gives us less opportunities to see how our players perform in the field, on the mound, in the batter’s box, and on the bases. This also applies to practices. There is only so much you can do inside a gym to get your players game ready. Even the coaches get cabin fever. At this point, if we cannot practice outside, I am more likely to cancel practice than have multiple indoor practices per week. We practice in the gym, which is too small to do anything more than infield work, and hit in the mezzanine.

KNOWLES: I definitely think our coaches and kids have cabin fever, Heck, I have it. I keep thinking about all the places around the state that have been outside since February and I feel bad for our kids. I guess there is nothing we can do about it, but I do feel bad for them from a competitive perspective.