Senior Elle Tomalia runs and catches the lacrosse ball during her match. She has a verbal agreement to go play Division one Lacrosse at Butler University. (Submitted: Elle Tomalia)

For Gabby Hall, tennis player and junior, the shifting and volatile nature of the weather during the spring season brings unique challenges, causing her to need to adapt over the course of the season.

“Earlier in the season it’s usually really windy, pretty cold, sometimes games get canceled because of the rain,” Hall said. “While later in the season it’s a lot hotter, there’s more sun, and we definitely need to hydrate more.”

Hall added that the change in weather between March and May forced her to change her training and strategies. 

“Later in the year since it’s so much hotter you just sweat a lot more and it’s a lot more tiring on your body,” she said. “But also early in the season it’s tough because of the wind and it’s just hard to mentally prepare (for a match).”

Hall is not alone, as athletes across all spring sports need to adapt to different weather patterns. According to Weatherspark, temperatures in Carmel in March have swung drastically. Temperatures have gone from a low of 15 degrees Fahrenheit to a high of 79 degrees. Women’s lacrosse Head Coach Joshua Miller said practices are commonly moved indoors during March due to unpredictable weather.

“(Indoor practices) definitely happen, whether that’s just from cold temperatures, snow or rain,” Miller said. “We’ll work with the athletic department and they will search for some time for us and see if we can get into the field house or the blue gold gym. We’ve had to do that a couple of times when the temperatures dipped into the twenties this season.”

Miller said that the main difference between indoor and outdoor practices for lacrosse is that indoor practices tend to focus more on improving athleticism and conditioning.

“(Indoor practices) are a lot like the preseason stuff we end up doing,” Miller said. “It is a lot more (conditioning), we’ll do a stair workout or a run on the track so (practices) end up being a lot more conditioning rather than stickwork.”

Miller said since indoor practices cannot accurately prepare players for lacrosse, they are still important as they build important skills and a sense of teamwork.

“Ideally you want to be outside because you can mimic the game. We don’t use real balls inside because they’re heavy and hard so we tend to use a softer ball, which does change (practice) a little bit,” Miller said. “But I still don’t think it takes away from the fact that you’re building some team chemistry, you’re building some camaraderie, and that idea of working hard together, even if it’s just conditioning or whatever, still shines through.”

Elle Tomalia, women’s lacrosse player and senior, said some of the constraints to indoor practices, such as not being able to use an actual lacrosse ball, make indoor practices less impactful than outdoor practices. 

“(Indoor practices) are definitely not as effective,” she said. “We focus on conditioning because we have to use soft balls and need to wear tennis shoes. We don’t get to really play real lacrosse.”

Hall agreed with Tomalia and said outdoor practices better prepare her for her games. 

“Conditioning helps us get into better shape just by increasing our stamina but it’s definitely more helpful and beneficial if we’re able to actually hit the ball and play outside.”

Even when games and outdoor practices do take place, Tomalia said that the weather can have an impact on the game.

“Playing in the cold in games makes it really hard because the sticks we play with are metal so it makes our hands cold and it also makes it harder to catch and pass.”

In addition to taking a physical toll, Tomalia said cold weather can pose a mental toll as well.

“(Cold weather) really affects everyone’s mindset because it’s hard being outside in the cold and no one really likes it so it shifts our focus a lot,” Tomalia said.

Miller said that while games in cold or rainy weather are hard on the team, it’s important to recognize that both teams are dealing with the same conditions.

“What you remember in that situation is that both teams are dealing with it,” Miller said. “There’s no real advantage, you’re still going to have to deal with the elements.”

Hall said that with tennis, there are a lot of different factors that impact the game and she tries to be aware of that fact.

“There’s just different elements in play,” she said. 

Despite the challenges faced by the lacrosse team due to unpredictable weather, Miller said he believes that uncomfortable conditions improve team morale, as it gives the team a way to bond over a shared experience.

“(Bad weather) can create those memories for some of the kids of remembering, ‘Oh that was a terrible night, remember how cold it was,’” Miller said. “So I don’t think (bad weather) has too negative of an impact. If you’re remembering it, it has a bit of a positive impact.”