When is it ever going to warm up?

I know Wisconsin is a state famous for its harsh winters and cold temperatures, but this is getting kind of ridiculous. It’s going on towards the middle of May, and yet on Monday we had a frost advisory.

When I woke up on Tuesday morning, it was a cool 29 degrees outside, and the temps have hovered near the lower 50’s. On Monday I covered a track and field meet, and instead of shorts and polo shirts, I saw nothing but sweaters and coats.

I have to give a lot of credit to the athletes this spring, not only has it been a late start, but it seems Mother Nature won’t even let them enjoy warmer weather.

Oh well, it will get here sooner rather than later, I suppose. Spring in Wisconsin is a strange thing, but here and there, I am starting to see nature renew itself. Bees are coming out, flowers are popping up and wildflowers and leaves are ready to sprout.

I can smell cut grass when I walk outside my apartment at times, and there’s the whiff of smoke from people grilling steaks and burgers. Baseball is on TV, I’m back covering sports, and life almost feels as if it’s returning to a little bit of normalcy.

I’ve even got a big, healthy sports section this week. In fact, I’ve almost got too much sports! If you flip through this week’s sports section you’ll find five pages worth of content.

It’s early in the 2021 season even though the year has gotten off to a late start thanks to the alternate fall football season that some teams enjoyed, but that late start has not affected my athletes from Colby or Abbotsford.

Indeed, my track teams are off to a fast start. I’ve been mightily impressed by Abby’s Ty Falteisek, who is coming off a broken leg sustained from football. He’s already running in the lower eleven seconds for the 100-meter dash. In case you didn’t know, that’s fast.

Then there’s the trio of Brent Jeske, Mason Voss and Caden Healy. They’ve been tearing up the track this season, building up their speed and agility for what promises to be a special football season. I suspect all three will be competing at the state track meet this year.

I do hope they continue to compete in track and represent Colby. Being a talented athlete is a blessing, and it’s a point of pride for small towns to have great athletes. It’s also motivation for others to replicate those same feats.

Sports in small towns experience a lot of ups and downs. They don’t have the population size to simply replace an athlete that goes NCAA D-1 in a sport. Unlike Madison or Milwaukee, a D-1 athlete, even a D-2 athlete, is a rarity. They can make a huge difference on any team.

Looking at my athletes right now, I think I have more than a few that I know will be going to the NCAA. Just where I don’t know, but I’ll worry about that later. For now, I am grateful that I get to cover them while they are in high school, and to be a part of their lives.

I’m also grateful that I am getting to cover spring sports once again after a year long hiatus. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks, and some late nights, but seeing kids from all across the state competing again, getting to capture their moments makes it worth it.

Now if it would just warm up, it would be perfect! Oh well, at least the cut grass and wildflowers smell nice.

M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS

ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER