As the winter season comes to an end, spring sports are beginning. Tryouts have come and gone, and the season is officially in full swing. This brings excitement to many athletes and coaches. It allows an insight to the players’ skill level and passion for the sport. 

“Most spring sports start[ed] Feb. 28, however, boys and girls track and field started indoor season on Jan. 17 with a limited schedule,” stated Barry Burmeister, the athletic director of MCHS.  The last day to register was Feb. 28.

Tryouts and many other aspects of the spring sport schedules are created by the IHSA. 

“The spring season calendar is set by the IHSA. They determine when practices may start, when you may have your first competition, when the regular season ends, and when the postseason tournament begins,” explained Burmiester.

In tryouts, most of the coaches looked for characteristics in the players, along with skills. 

“We are always looking for athletes that work hard,” described Mikaela Mitsch, the softball head coach. “You can have talent but if you are not coachable and willing to try new things you might not see a lot of time on the Varsity field. Us coaches are always learning about our sport so we want our players to want to learn, too.”

Many spring sports don’t require previous experience in order to be on the junior varsity team rather a will to put in hard work. 

“I would suggest this sport to any ladies who are looking to get involved in a spring sport and stay active,” explained Andrew Stegenga, the girls soccer head coach. “Great to get outside and we have a great group of girls in the program.”

During tryouts, coaches gott a picture of how the players and team will work together or individually.

“I love the competition tryouts bring to the team,” described Mitsch, “But we can also see other players help each other out and help make their teammates look good. I love to see the beginning of how our season starts out and see how we can grow together to make a great team.”

Many players tryout for high school sports to continue to play their sport of choice during the travel team offseason. 

“I decided to try out for the team to pursue my love for Baseball and elevate my skills,” explained Kamrin Bork, a sophomore baseball athlete. 

Other future spring sport athletes try out in order to be able to try a new sport. 

“I decided to try out for lacrosse because I was looking for a fun new sport to play during the spring season,” described Alison Ahrens, a sophomore athlete. 

Tryouts is a very exciting time for athletes and coaches. It gives a chance for athletes to try new things or continue to play their favorite sport, and gives coaches an outlook of the season.