By Staff
You know it's spring when coaches start wearing shorts.
Niles track and field coach Dave Janicki, who usually paces the sidelines of football fields in khaki pants, sported shorts Thursday afternoon as his team took on the Lakeshore Lancers.
The warm weather seemed to put an extra bounce in the Vikings' steps as they beat Lakeshore 89-65.
Spring has definitely arrived, and the last two days have given us a glimpse of what weather awaits us if we are patient.
Don't count on it staying this warm, but look forward to weeks on end of shorts-and-t-shirts weather.
Spring sports are finally in full swing as students have returned from spring break and returned to their school and practice routines.
As much as I love the winter sports, I am always thankful when the spring season finally gets here. It's not just because of the warmer weather, but also because the excitement spring sports bring.
Baseball, softball, track, soccer and golf certainly are played at a different pace than basketball and volleyball, but also have their own particular brand of excitement.
Baseball and softball can be slow games to watch, but when a team gets an offensive rally going or puts together a textbook double play there are few more exciting things to watch.
Soccer is up-tempo, but you sometimes have to be patient if you're going to see a goal. The game can be very exciting, however, if you pay close enough attention.
Track is probably the most exciting sport for me in the spring. I ran track in junior high but never saw a high school track meet until I became sports editor.
Each event in a track meet has its own excitement, and with as many as 17 different events at each meet there is plenty of thrilling action to take in.
I am particularly fond of the long jump and high jump for some reason. I enjoy seeing athletes throw themselves in the air as far or as high as they can in an attempt to go an inch longer or higher than their opponents.
The 100-meter and 200-meter sprints are also exciting to watch.
Golf is probably the slowest of all the sports throughout the year, but that doesn't mean it's not exciting. It may not be very spectator-friendly, but playing the game can be one of the most enjoyable (and frustrating) things to do in nice weather.
Take advantage of the warm weather and go see some spring sports!
Dan Weiss is sports editor of the Niles Daily Star. Email him at dan.weiss@leaderpub.com