The first day of spring, Friday, March 20, is just a couple days away, but like recent years, high school spring sports teams are in a familiar position in early March.

A late winter with periods of heavy snow has once again caused baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis and track and field teams issues with their outdoor practice schedules. Due to covered playing fields across the area, most teams have been forced inside gymnasiums to replicate their practice situations. Boys volleyball, on the other hand, is fortunate enough to remain practicing on their normal courts.

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

"Everyone is in the same boat," Whitehall baseball head coach Shaun O'Boyle said. "We are making the most of the parking lots and the gyms available to us. Trying to pick a team when you can't get outside is tough, but we are confident in the team we have."

Two snowstorms two weeks, including one that brought in excess of six inches to the Lehigh Valley, hurt any chance of teams practicing outside. Throw in the cancellation of classes for much of that time, and holding tryouts for sports such as baseball and softball proved to be nearly impossible.

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

"This has been the worst year in my 12 coaching here," O'Boyle said. "I can't remember missing a day of tryouts, let alone four. This snow won't be gone for another week I'm sure, [and] then another week or two before the field is playable."

The Zephyrs were able to practice just one day during the first week of spring practices.

For a District 11 Class AAAA school, Whitehall has been able to accommodate all of its spring sports in this tough time of the season, one that seems to pop up year after year. O'Boyle praised the Zephyrs' athletic department and crew for that.

"The athletic department, administration and maintenance does a fantastic job with getting everyone enough time," O'Boyle said. "It's not an easy job for them, and the players and coaches have been great with the flexibility they've shown…Give the parents a lot of credit for getting the players here to practice. This year has truly been a program working together to get things done."

With temperatures projected to hover in the mid 40s and low 50s this week, teams will hopefully 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.

The Zephyrs, however, are preparing to open their season in a little more than a week.

"We play our first game in Myrtle Beach," O'Boyle said, "so barring any rain, we will play on March 21. No games after that have been changed to this point."

The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference schedule begins on March 21.