Ah, Spring in Ritzville

This is the time of year when Major League baseball is getting a real good start and the NBA and NHL playoffs are just getting started. For anyone that watched any games this weekend you would have seen the Mariners battle the Colorado Rockies with snowflakes falling. Friday’s game was postponed until a doubleheader could be played on Sunday.

New York Yankee and Tampa Bay players were wearing cold weather head covering to protect their ears and noses. It looks funny but it is easier to wear this than to don a parka and still try to make the throw to first base.

I know we’ve had some days here that hovered near 80 a week or so ago but a cold front comes in and we once again have frost on our windshields. We could use some rain but only for the crops and our lawns, right? Just last Thursday a rain storm hit the Reardan area and a tennis match had to be postponed because the new tennis court surface was deemed slick and unsafe to play on until it is dry.

I remember a few years ago when a baseball game was played in Ritzville on a Saturday afternoon. It started out nice and sunny and then it started to sprinkle and then it hailed and the wind blew and finally the sun came back out and it was once again nice to play baseball for at least the last three innings of the second game of the doubleheader.

I’ve often heard that you know you live in Eastern Washington if you have your heater on for the morning commute and your air conditioner on high for the drive home. I’m guilty of that and I’m sure you are as well.

April has often been a mixed bag of weather. We hear people talk about global warming and then I hear the weather folks say it’s El Nino so what is it? I watched a lot of weather reports from the 1960’s up until now and we never heard anything about El Nino and La Nina back then. But we also didn’t have the weather satellites that can predict the weather like they can now. Oh, I know many of you say that a weather person is never right but they seem to be hitting it pretty close these days and weather watching may be the only thing worth viewing on the news these days.

Since the last Saturday of April is this weekend it means the Undeberg Invitational will be up and running again at the local track at Jimmie Snider Field with a lot of schools and athletes. There will be a bunch of volunteers helping out and once again the Meyer brothers and I will be handling duties at the boys’ long and triple jump events. It’s always fun catching up and working alongside Mark and Dan.

Over the years we have seen some superb athletes from the 2A, 1A, 2B and 1B ranks. Last year’s victorious long and triple jumper was from Springdale a 1B school. So talent doesn’t just land at the big schools. This kid could compete at the 4A in high jump, long and triple jump. According to a story in the Spokane paper a month or so ago he will be taking his talents to compete at the college level next year.

Being able to host an Invitational track meet this large is really a good thing for the community. We get a chance to show off our wonderful track and get a chance to welcome young athletes and put on a great meet. The coaches and parents appreciate the respect and support we give these kids and they leave here with fond memories of the meet. I love to hear when an athlete boasts about having a career best time or distance on a jump.

We can do our best to encourage them to have fun and relax but Mother Nature still has the last call on what the weather will be and I remember some windy, cold ones from many years ago. But at least we won’t worry about dust blowing off the cinder track.

It’s spring time in Ritzville. It’s time for the Undeberg Invitational. If you’re not volunteering you may not be having a much fun as we are!

— Dale Anderson is a sports columnist from Ritzville. To contact him, email [email protected].