In 1962, Rachel Carson released a controversial, yet powerful, book entitled Silent Spring, which documented the prolonged effects on earth resulting from the use of chemicals, notably the pesticide DDT.
While in no way as ominous as the outcome described in Carson’s book, high school spring sports are staring down their own Silent Spring and the symbolic DDT is the coronavirus, COVID-19.
While winter sports athletes were denied participating in regional and state tournaments, those involved in spring sports are facing the prospect of missing their entire seasons. For seniors, this is their last opportunity to play for their schools.
Indiana and Nebraska high school athletic associations have already announced the cancelation of their spring sports seasons. While the OHSAA still officially has them on hold, it is difficult to see how meaningful seasons could be arranged with schools not returning to session before May 1 and likely beyond.
If that is the case, locally, we will not get to see a Colonel Crawford baseball team that finished second in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference and made a run to the regional tournament, featuring Tiffin University signee Gavin Feichtner. Coach Dan Gorbett had no seniors on last year’s roster.
Bucyrus was likely an injury to star pitcher Caleigh Rister away from a second straight N10 championship. The Lady Redmen also lost to Galion in the district final. Rister was scheduled back as a junior and Coach Jerry Hargis no doubt planned to make another league title push.
Speaking of Galion, the Lady Tigers came up one game short of the state Final Four, losing in the Findlay regional final to eventual state runner-up, Cardington-Lincoln.
Coach Doug Hunt had the core of that squad coming back, including his main pitcher, Madelyn Thomas, so expectations remained high in Galion as well.
Track and field, both boys and girls, would also more than likely have produced state representatives from all around Crawford County. Annual anticipated events like the Bucyrus Elks Invitational track meet and the Crawford County Meet will not be run.
Rivalries will not be renewed — Wynford vs. Bucyrus, Colonel Crawford vs. Buckeye Central, Galion vs. Crestline — mix any of those, baseball and softball, as they all have each other on the schedule.
And let’s not forget boys’ tennis at Bucyrus, Galion and Crestline. Both have strong traditions and one of the biggest tournaments of the year is the Jim Grandy hosted by Bucyrus.
Spring sports have their drawbacks. Weather in Ohio in late March and much of April is iffy at best. Rainouts and cold outs of the diamond sports are not unusual.
Sitting at a game or a meet with snow and wind blowing in your face is not ideal (take it from someone who has covered spring sports for 30 years). Due to the short season, make-up regular season games are often played after the tournament starts.
And yet, spring sports will be missed, should Ohio add itself to the list of states that have pronounced them ended. Perhaps because of the added adversity of dealing with the elements, spring sports athletes are among the hardiest.
Playing for the love of the sport, for their schools and for themselves, spring sports athletes offer entertainment free of charge. Here’s hoping something can be salvaged of the season.