Spring sports, winter weather, Summit sports battle the elements in different ways
Sports in full swing, except there is much spring for the sports.
For Summit's track team they are battling the elements.
"Well, there's no difficulties with weather in central Oregon," Head coach Dave Turnbull said Tuesday, "If you're a track coach, you have to be ready for everything. So when I see it snowing on Sunday, I just know that the next day, I’ve got to clear the track. I’ve got to find a way to get competitive surfaces ready for the kids. And that's what we do."
Summit Track Head Coach Dave Turnbull wins championships in May but battles the weather in March.
"If you walk around here, you'll see this always looks like it's brand new. It's because we protect the surfaces, and we have an advantage. But I'm hoping the other schools take a look around and realize that this facility will do things that other facilities won't, because we can use the right machinery to get the snow off and make it perfect for the kids."
Turnbull and his coaching staff spend hours maintaining the track during harsh conditions.
Lacrosse Teams Adapt to the Weather
Right after the track teams finish, Summit Lacrosse takes the field—but with a different kind of equipment.
"Yes, yes, yes, we're told to bring shovels. And we had to do this last year, so we came prepared," one player said
Baseball Team Faces Bigger Challenges
While the track and lacrosse teams make do with their top-tier facilities, over on the baseball field, it's a different story.
"It isn’t the fact that our field is under the water table or a big mess, as you've already seen," a frustrated Aaron Boehm said, "The fact is that we're asking for help, we're asking for just the base level that every other school has in our conference, and it's falling on deaf ears."
The Summit baseball field is in terrible condition, forcing the team to practice in the gym. Head Coach Aaron Boehm and the athletic department have voiced concerns to the Bend-La Pine School Board about the baseball facilities but have received no response.
"No return phone calls, no return emails," Boehm continued, "That is super frustrating to me because these young men don't have the same opportunities as other kids in their conference."
Senior Slater De Brun and his teammates are doing what they can to prepare for their first game, despite never having stepped on a playable diamond this season. They will travel to Grants Pass on Thursday for their season opener.
"It's frustrating. But we have a chip on our shoulder because of it, and we’ve got to grind it out." De Brun said.
