It's 37 degrees with wind gusts up to 20 miles per hour. The fans sit in the bleachers dressed in winter coats, gloves, and hoodies.

They could be watching any high school athletic event this spring in northeast Pennsylvania.Jim Thorpe athletic director, Dustin McAndrew says last year was difficult, but this year is even more challenging to get his school's games and events in due to unfavorable climate."Our fields have been through the snow, the ice, then the thaw, and now the rain," he says. "And even when we can play, it's been brutally cold."Mike Hromyak, AD at Tamaqua, says that this could be the worst spring season weather in his 21 years in charge of Raider athletics."Despite the fact that our great maintenance crew has been able to get the fields ready for some games, we have still rescheduled baseball eight times. Fortunately for us, our softball field drains well, but nevertheless, due to postponements they are scheduled to play eight games in nine possible playing dates in the upcoming weeks."Andrew Remsing is in his fourth year as Palmerton's AD and says his Bomber baseball team has played only four times within a schedule that should have 11 games in so far."We will play five baseball games in each of the next two weeks with weather permitting," says Remsing. "Our baseball team didn't get on our field until their first game on April 6. Softball and track aren't that far behind while our tennis team has played two doubleheaders already to be sure we have enough matches in to qualify for our league and district minimums."Jim Thorpe is three to four games behind to what should be their total games played thus far in April."We have tried to play Pine Grove in baseball three times for the same game and on one occasion we got two innings in, but then it rained so that just counts as a bus trip for nothing."Both McAndrew, who is in his 12th year as Jim Thorpe AD, and Hromyak have "flip-flopped" home and away sites for games because one school's field has been playable while the other is not. Track and field events have not been as much a problem because both Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua have all-weather surfaces, however, as Hromyak claims, "it can be pretty miserable running or throwing in near freezing temperatures with a drizzling rain."Baseball presents the biggest problem when weather doesn't cooperate. The idea of doubleheaders has been discussed, but when rescheduled games are added, the pitching arms of young athletes can be compromised."We are fortunate at Tamaqua to have a pretty deep pitching staff," says Hromyak. "Kids who play other positions can throw if they are needed on the mound in non-league games, especially if we have to play four or more games in a week."Hromyak says that junior varsity baseball teams can have multiple games cancelled off the schedule."There are some schools that can't play JV games the same day the varsity does so it becomes difficult when bad weather hits to play them at all. We hope to get in at least three-quarters of the JV schedule by the end of the season.Before the spring season begins, Hromyak tries to schedule athletic events around field trip dates, but now he has to utilize those dates to get in all the make-ups."Unfortunately, if an athlete has an event on the same day as a field trip, he or she will have to choose which one to do."The Colonial League has approved of scheduling make-ups on Sundays, as long as a team has one day off every seven days. Remsing says he would like to avoid Sunday events if possible."We did finish a game last Sunday we had started against Palisades," he says. "I would hope that would be the only one."McAndrew jokes that if the bad weather should continue, he will hold wiffle ball tournaments in his gym. Hromyak likes the idea too because he claim it's better than too many days of hardball practice indoors."The lighting in a gym changes the perception of balls thrown in the air and groundballs are much different than those hit outside where the ball comes to a fielder off the grass or the ground."Area ADs are scratching their heads even when a sunny day occurs, hoping that their fields are not too wet to play on."We're always looking for creative ways to complete our schedule," says Hromyak. "I read that a school in another part of the state is playing softball games on a turf football field. It just takes a tape measure and some throw down bases.""I've seen Northern Lehigh practice softball on its football field," says Remsing.In that case, it could be possible that if a ball sails into the end zone, it could be a home run, and just like in a football game, the offensive team has a reason to celebrate.To play high school sports in the spring, there is a will to find a way.**********NO HIT WONDERSThree Times News hurlers have tossed no-hitters so during the young 2015 season.-Bethany Shaud of Marian, on Monday, March 30th against Dieruff (5 IP, 0H, 8K).- Josh Williamson of Northwestern, on Monday, April 6th against Northern Lehigh (5 IP, 0H, 7K).- Bailey Pedersen of Tamaqua, on Thursday, April 3rd against Jim Thorpe. Pedersen produced ten ground-ball outs. (7 IP, 0H, 1K)**********SHINING SHAUDThe Marian Fillies are off to a strong start, much thanks to starting pitcher Bethany Shaud. The Fillies currently have six wins this season (6-2) and the senior stud has been the winning pitcher during every single victory.**********FOURTH TIMES' A CHARMJim Thorpe's track and field star, Rayan Green, has won an impressive four events on two separate occasions this year. Green most recently won four times during the Olympian's dual meet against Blue Mountain on April 13th, when he placed first in the 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles, triple jump, and high jump events.**********THE ROLLING RAIDERSThe Tamaqua softball team has started off the 2015 campaign with a bang. The Lady Raiders are 7-2 overall (5-1 SL). Tamaqua has outscored its opponents by a 66-22 margin so far this season.**********IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN NEW TRIPOLINorthwestern's three-year starting catcher Sunny Greenberg has been on a tear thus far in 2015. Greenberg crushed two home runs in a non-league contest against Kutztown earlier this season, and hit a solo shot against Colonial League foe Northern Lehigh. Greenberg will continue to be an offensive force for the Lady Tigers moving ahead.**********WEEKEND WARRIORThe Northwestern baseball team played three straight games last Saturday through Monday. The Tigers took two out of three, as starting catcher Tyler Wiik caught 20 of the 21 innings during the three day marathon.