Winter Weather, Rain Leaves Fields Flooded

It is no secret that this past winter we have seen more snow in Connecticut than we have in a long time.  With the snow just now clearing up, it is flooding and leaving large puddles of water scattered across fields all around Vernon.

With the spring sports season right around the corner for high schools, coaches and officials are worried how the fields will be by the time tryouts start.  Rockville High School softball coach Frank Levick said that the scheduling will become very busy and tricky if the teams are not able to practice outdoors.

“I have a feeling we will get started late and maybe have a revised schedule,” said Levick said. “The gym is going to be very busy this spring at RHS and all other schools.  The only good out of it will be a couple more days of workouts before cuts are made giving us a chance to see the athletes a little longer before we make cuts.”

Levick said he is also working toward replacing the infield dirt on the baseball diamond due to rocks coming up from underneath.  But if the snow and puddles do not clear up in time in order for the dirt to be replaced, Levick said it is a possibility that some early home games in the season will have to be changed to another location.

As of right now, the Rockville High School athletic department is taking a wait-and-see approach.  Athletic Director Steven Phelps said that he is unsure of how the fields will be but hopefully the drying process will start soon.

“I’m not sure how the fields will be, as this is the most snow I have seen in many years,” said Phelps. “Remember you cannot control the weather, so once the fields are ready our athletes will be playing every day.”

The Rockville High School lacrosse team should have no problem with scheduling since lacrosse is a sport that can be played in most conditions.  But for the baseball and softball teams, there could be a problem with starting the season late considering all the rain that has come and will come in the spring.  Teams will have a hard time fitting in games and practices if there are a lot of rain dates this spring.  A late start to the season due to poor field conditions will only make matters worse.

Officials from the Vernon Little League baseball and softball programs said that their games typically start at the end of April so they are not yet thinking about whether or not the fields will be ready. The league said that if they have to, they have the time and ability to push the season start back a week or two in any case.