Another sign that spring sports are "different"

The most recent sign that the spring sports season doesn't come with the same level of weight as fall or winter:

Random Lake's girls soccer team went 1-1-1 at the Menasha St. Mary Central Invite on Saturday. In the final game of the day, the Rams' lone loss, the team had just nine players on the field.

Why? Because it's prom night, and four of the girls - only 13 made the trip because of the dance - drove back to Random Lake before the final game get a head start on getting ready.

Sheboygan Christian went 1-2 at the same tournament. The Eagles were also shorthanded on the day, especially the final game, as players left for a wedding, a play dress rehearsal and a couple of other mostly school-related events.

That's not to single out Random Lake or Sheboygan Christian. That example isn't as much an exception as it is a rule, how sports drops way down on the priority list in the lives of student-athletes, behind field trips, college entrance exams, dances and everything else that goes along with the spring season.

Spring Break decimates sports teams' rosters for a week, and weekend events are often times hampered by the tests and field trips.

Once the postseason gets going, so do the high school teams. The intensity picks up. But before that, it isn't surprising to find teams short-handed for reasons other than injury.

--Adam Thompson