The first day of spring, Friday, March 20, is a little more than a week away, but like recent years, high school spring sports teams are in a familiar position as their second week of practice is almost finished.

A late winter with periods of heavy snow have once again caused baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis and track and field teams issues with their outdoor practice schedules that began last Monday, March 2.

Due to snow-covered playing fields across the area, most teams have been forced inside gymnasiums to replicate their practice situations. Volleyball, on the other hand, is fortunate enough to remain practicing on their normal courts.

It may not be the ideal situation, but remaining patient is the most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with Mother Nature.

"I'm real appreciative of both our grounds crew and the guys that take care of our facilities to make things playable as quickly as possible," Parkland Athletic Director Jeff Geisel said.

"I appreciate the parents' patience, because they get antsy as well as the kids. They have to get the kids out of the house, back to school and then to practice. I appreciate the other athletic directors working together with us."

Parkland, which has boys volleyball along with the other spring sports (baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse, track and field, and boys tennis) is in a tougher situation than most schools. Their basketball team is still competing in the state playoffs, so a time slot in the gym must be reserved for them.

But Parkland may have more resources available than other surrounding schools. Along with using the high school's gymnasium, Parkland uses Troxell Middle School.

Some of the sports booster clubs also provide a helping hand to send teams to alternate indoor locations.

"The booster clubs also help to take them off campus if they so choose to do so," Geisel said. "If the boosters want to pay for them to go to Iron Lakes or Game Time, which is a place out by Nestle in Parkland, we allow the booster clubs to do that."

Two snowstorms last week, including one on Thursday that brought in excess of six inches to the Lehigh Valley, hurt any chance of teams practicing outside.

When teams are forced indoors, the tryout process is affected for coaches looking to fill roster spots before the games begin in mid-March. The first week of practicing is essential for selecting those players, and the winter weather hasn't done the Lehigh Valley any favors in that regard.

"Our tryout process usually lasts a week and a half," Parkland baseball head coach Tony Galucy said. "Missing four days last week has put us in a bind. Do we make cuts quicker so we can start getting our team ready for the season, or do we still take a week-and-a-half? We do not want to shortchange any kids, but at some point you have to get ready for the season."

The baseball team practiced just two days last week, both of which were indoors.

"Players do not get the reps needed," Galucy said. "We have 83 kids trying out, [but] it is hard to throw batting practice to 83 kids."

The boys lacrosse team has been fortunate to practice every day last week, including Saturday, at Game Time Field House and the school's gym. Still, practicing inside presents challenges for coaches.

"We can only practice certain aspects of the game," Parkland boys lacrosse head coach Brad Schifko said. "We're mostly in closed quarters, so spacing and timing are a bit of an issue. However, we'll make the necessary adjustments once we are able to get out on the field."

With temperatures projected to hover in the mid 40s and low 50s this week, teams could soon be able to get on a normal practice schedule. And despite the higher temperatures, it's highly unlikely their scrimmages set for this week will get played.

"I think we had more snow on the ground last year," Galucy said, "but the weather broke sooner, enabling the snow to melt. It just has not been warm enough this year to melt the snow."

The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference schedule begins on March 21.