Snowed Out: Blizzard Sidelines Crimson Squads

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Not much as far as most Harvard spring sports teams are concerned. For the winter shows that wreaked havoc with their preseasons last week became the spring show that's now wreaking havoc with their regular seasons.

And with the new show replacing the old snow all hopes of a normal spring schedule are only so-so.

Last week's springtime blizzard forced several Harvard squads to cancel their spring break plans and caused others to postpone indefinitely crucial early-season games. While Harvard's spring sports have braved such storms in the past few have weathered the preseason with such a lack of practice.

With the short two month spring season of April and May, "there's not much we can do it the weather doesn't cooperate." Harvard women's softball Coach John Wentzell said last night.

And since early February the wintery weather's reign has been tougher to handle than most Harvard opponents. In recent months, snow-free Crimson playing fields have been rarer sights than construction-free days in Harvard square.

That fact kept most Crimson squads locked inside Briggs Athletic Center for virtually their entire preseasons.

Now, last week's spectacular springtime blizzard is threatening to keep them there a little longer.

The baseball, softball and men's and women's lacrosse squads--the Crimson teams most directly affected by the snow covered fields--may all get a little closer in the next few days, as the teams are forced to keep their shows locked inside.

The prospect of practice in Briggs doesn't exactly excite many people. "It's a real chore to schedule that facility," Wentzell said.

The indoor arena of the Crimson basketball teams also comes sans the ruts and rocks that properly prepare teams for the natural conditions of the outdoors, softball. Co-captain Ellen Sackaroff explained adding. "Outdoors you get used to bad pops."

But the condition of the outdoors is what forced cancellation of the softball squad's game at Mt. Holyoke last Friday, a double-header at Dartmouth on Saturday and has put today's showdown at Wheaton in serious question. The Mt. Holyoke and the Wheaton games were originally scheduled for Soldiers Field, but Athletic Department officials had already ruled use of Harvard's home facility out of the question as early as March 20.

A Storms

Setback

"It's put us back at least a week," Wentzell said of the stormy weather and subsequent game cancellations.

For the baseball team, Florida's sunny weather allowed a spring break reprieve, but the still snow-covered diamond along the banks of the Charles has left Wednesday's showdown with Boston College as a game "which may not happen," one player said.

Both the men's and women's lacrosse squads--whose few ventures outside this year have come nowhere near Cambridge--were also forced to cancel spring break games (See stories below).