When springtime rolls around at Chief nation, 11 varsity teams are active in season. With boys and girls lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track, golf, and boys baseball, the school is a flurry of activities. Every day either a practice or game is happening, but just as sure as some type of sporting event going on at the school is something that plagues these outdoor sports: spring rain showers.

“The rain is definitely not soccer’s best friend, however it allows us time to rest and improve. On rainy days that lead to unsafe conditions to play, we will be found watching film or practicing in a gym by playing indoor soccer or working on fitness,” soccer coach Lauren Holland said.

According to Weather.gov, during the months of February through March, Atlanta averages over 16 inches of rain in the past thirty years. Although a little rain is seemingly harmless, playing on wet fields and courts can tear them up as well as be a safety hazard for the athletes.

The soccer program has already felt the repercussions of the frequent precipitation. The tryouts scheduled for January 16-18 had to be cancelled due to icy roads and frigid temperatures that shut down the schools.

“While the snow messed up our timeline, we built in plenty of time for conditioning and tryouts in case weather decided to act up. Our biggest goal was to allow players a full three days of tryouts and multiple days of practice before the first games. That was accomplished even with the push back,” Coach Holland said.

In previous seasons, rainstorms made some soccer games impossible to finish on the same day.

“Our game against Creekview last year got cut short at half time, and we resumed on a different day,” junior Audrey George said.

For different sports, different weather conditions force practices and games to be cancelled or changed. In tennis, practices are more likely to be moved indoors because the rain makes the courts slippery.

“The main risk is slipping if the courts become slick. Usually in the light rain it isn’t as bad, but the white lines can get questionable, so it is all up to the players’ judgement. If it goes on for a while, puddles can form on the court, which also makes it hard to play,” junior Alana Neely said.

In soccer, the fields are less of a precaution because cleats provide grip. Their practices are less likely to be affected.

“Games are only cancelled due to lightning, so practices are only cancelled due to lightning. We need to be prepared to play in game like situations and sometimes that includes rain,” George said.

This, however, does not stop the players from getting caught up in the mud created.

“The ball is slippery, [and] the grass is slippery [so] people fall a lot,” George said.

Ultimately, the season must go on despite weather implications, and nonetheless, the spring sports players still play the game, despite the rain.

“Lacrosse is fun to play in any kind of weather, but sometimes bad weather makes it more exciting,” senior Ryan Hill said.