Last updated on Mar 25, 2019
By Ida Ynner Lagerqvist
Snowfall hit New York during the night between Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2, causing cancelled and postponed sports games.
The football field covered in snow
Many of the Pioneer sports teams were affected as fields and roads were covered in snow on Saturday morning. The equestrian show at the Olde Towne Equestrian Center, the women’s lacrosse team’s game against Bentley University and the baseball team’s game against Pace University were all cancelled due to inclement weather.
“It’s really unfortunate that our show got cancelled, but at the same time I think it was for the best. We are outside all day and it’s not fair to the horses if the weather is bad and the show ring is in a bad condition,“ sophomore
nutrition major Hedda Walltott, a member of the equestrian team, said.
The weather isn’t only causing changes for the teams and athletes. It also affects the athletic department and the people arranging the games. With a limited time schedule, things sometimes get tense. “Those times get a little
bit stressful,” Casey Schermick, director of athletic media relations, said.
“It’s a combination of trying to get the facilities ready for play and making sure that people know what schedule updates have been made so everyone is on the same page.”
The men’s lacrosse team was scheduled to play at home against Pace University at 1 p.m. on Saturday, but the snow-covered field led to
an hour delay. “It was about five of us administrators who were out clearing the bleachers, trying to move as much snow by hand as we could to make the field playable and to make a safe environment at the stands,” Schermick said.
The decisions determining whether a game gets cancelled is made by the facility staff, the head coach of the team who is supposed to play and athletic director Debbie DeJong. When a decision has been made, the head coach passes the information to the players and the opponents and the athletic department informs the public.
“We will send out a notification through social media saying the game has been postponed due to inclement weather, or whatever the circumstances may be, and we also post updates on the schedules on the website,” Schermick said.
While the teams in New York struggled with the snow, the softball team flew to warm and sunny Florida for their first games of the season. “We are very excited to be starting our season, especially in warm weather,” Katie Humhej, pitcher and junior health science major, said. The softball team always has to adjust to the weather and due to the weather in New York, the team has been practicing in the gym instead of outside on their field during preseason.
“It was much different playing on an actual dirt field compared to a gym floor, but it felt fantastic,” Humhej said. The switch from the gym to an outside field went smoothly and the team won their first game of the season against no. 1 ranked Saint Anselm College. This was the Pioneers first win against a no. 1 team in the program’s 44 year history.
Ashley Melendez, infielder and senior childhood & special education major, said the win was a great feeling. “It was a great way to start off our last season. The win meant a lot to us considering last year we dropped two games against them in the super regionals,” she said.
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