Blooming bushes, warm air, and allergies acting up. Spring must be approaching. Well, for Spring athletes, it’s the cold practices during the winter pre-season that gives them the sign of the seasonal change. Most of the sports from Broad Run High School have built up a lot of hype and fandom around them. From fall football, to winter basketball, to even our recent state champs, girls tennis. Without a doubt, high school sports are a big part of most students’ high school experiences. But, the question is why do sports seem to be the most popular in the spring, in terms of student athlete participation?
Spring sports have always been so popular amongst students and have had an overwhelming population compared to other sports from other seasons – the most popular one being track and field. Even though fall and winter sports seem to have more “hype” around them by the student body, spring sports triumph all with their immense population. So, even though the crowds at the boys semi final basketball game and the Friday night football student sections are packed with fans and students, when it comes to the students that actually participate in the sport, the award most likely goes to spring sports.
Spring sports can be popular for multiple reasons, but I’ve narrowed them down to four:
- Weather
Spring might not be my favorite season, but it takes the prize for the best weather. It truly has the perfect mix of the warm comfort and cool breeze. Spring is just a fabulous time to be outside and enjoy your friends’ company. So whether you’re participating in spring track or girls lacrosse, being outside just feels good.
Last year, more than 120 students tried out for spring track. Now take that number and compare that to winter track, that’s about an 80 student difference. To narrow down the reasons to why that may be, I interview a senior spring track athlete, Ava Gearing to get her thoughts on winter v. spring track:
“It’s really cold in the winter…I’m not big on the cold and it’s warmer in the Spring.”
I’m sure anybody who has or who can imagine running in 20 degree weather will also find it harder to run track in the winter vs. spring. However, Gearing shared another reason she believes it’s more popular besides weather…
- Community and Advertisement
“…More people do it in the Spring, so a bigger community.”
I think we can all agree that the community within the sport is a make or break. But, Gearing had one more point:
“I think it’s more advertised for spring track than winter track. Like I think people talk about it more, so more people want to come out and do it.”
Increasing advertisement is a good idea, but at the same time, it must be hard to make a promotion for running in freezing cold weather when you could just do it later in the year.
- End of School Year
Everyone knows that once you reach the end of the school year, the assignments are pretty pointless. Especially after AP testing; you’ve officially reached the busy work stage of school. So, with barely any work to worry about, and the immaculate weather right outside the school doors, it’s almost calling to participate in a spring sport.
To get some spring sports student input, I’ve decided to interview Claire Erny, a senior who played lacrosse her freshman and sophomore year: “It was fun, I liked it! I think it was because everyone’s just happier at the end of the year.”
- Why Not?
In my opinion, Fall sports come with a sense of pressure, just because along with balancing your sport, you have to balance the beginning of the school year. And whether it is your first time in the school or your senior year, the beginning of the school year is stressful for everyone.
As for the winter time, no one wants to make a lengthy commitment to a sport that during most peoples seasonal depression. And spring. Well, I don’t think anyone denies that spring weather is truly immaculate. The build up to summer and all the good vibes; spring sports just adds that special touch. In specific, track seems to be the sport that everyone does “just because”. This school year, there were over 100 students that tried out. So, if you find yourself with nothing to do at the end of the year and are looking for something fun to end off the school year, then spring sports might just be the thing for you. And don’t worry about preparation, you’ll have all winter for that.
