The Citizen

Terry Underwood made out a spring sports schedule for the Southern Cayuga teams earlier this year. Then he made another. And another.

Underwood, the athletic director and golf coach for the Chiefs, has had to deal with cancellation after cancellation. And that means rescheduling game after game.

“You fly by the seat of your pants,” he said. “It's difficult in Upstate New York anyway. We start at the end of the winter season, so we have to start outdoor sports indoors, and that's compromise in itself.

Mother Nature, though, has been in no mood for compromise. The spring - if it can be called that - has resulted in more cancellations than actual games. That has kept Underwood busy, adjusting and re-adjusting the schedules, calling other athletic directors to find a new date - and sometimes a new site - then communicating with groundskeepers, transportation, coaches and so on.

“There's a number of people involved, and it can be quite chaotic,” he said.

The result of all his hard work so far?

“Each of our teams have one (game) in,” Underwood said. “But the key word is one.”

That's one more than the Skaneateles softball team.

The Lakers have yet to play a game in six tries. Forget about games, though. The Lakers have only even been able to practice outside four times all season. The wet and cold conditions have relegated the team to the gym for six straight weeks.

That makes Bob Braunitzer's team a little antsy.

“My girls just said last week, ‘We're going out. It doesn't matter what the temperature is, we're going out,'” he said.

“It's monotonous indoors. We have a batting cage and a couple different machines and you can do outfield, infield, running, sliding, catchers, pitchers - but we can't do the whole thing, and that's what you really need to do.”

It won't be easy, though. And not just because of the weather.

The Lakers were scheduled to play five games this week. Monday's contest against Jordan-Elbridge was canceled. Wednesday's game at Fabius-Pompey will likely have the same result, and then the Lakers are hoping to play three games in two days by week's end. That's the way the schedule will pan out for the rest of the season, which doesn't leave much time for practice.

But hey, it could be worse.

“About six years ago, we didn't start a game until May, and then we played 19 games in 21 days,” Braunitzer recalled, adding that several of the games were doubleheaders. “In the long run it hurt us. Mentally it was very tough to keep your focus and keep excited.”

It's hard to stay in condition, too.

Rich Valentino, the baseball coach at Moravia, has already seen it with his Blue Devils.

“My biggest concern is our arms. I feel that throwing long and long-tossing is really what keeps the arm in shape,” Valentino said. “We're just not able to get that done in a gym. I've noticed some kids that had sore arms already this year that I would think would never have them if they could be outside and practicing.”

Even the all-weather sport of lacrosse has been forced to make adjustments. The Auburn team has yet to have a game canceled - though Maroons coach Steve Crosby is doubtful he can get today's match against Nottingham in - but the wintry conditions play more of a role in location. Jordan-Elbridge had to move its game last Friday from Westhill to the turf field at Henninger. Crosby said Thursday's game against Baldwinsville has already been moved to the turf at Liverpool.

It's not that simple, though.

“The problem is there's lots of teams and a limited number of sites. Right now that's what we're all up against,” Crosby said. “And not everybody plows (their turf fields).”

But that's just life in Central New York, and everyone is in the same boat.

“It's not unprecedented,” Underwood said. “It is what it is, and you just have to go about your business.”

Added Valentino, “I just hope the sun comes out and stays out.”