WASILLA — It’s time to put away the pucks and sneakers and break out the spikes.

As of Monday, all Mat-Su soccer, baseball, softball and track teams have begun practice, with many teams already with a week of practice under their belts.

“Everything’s off and running,” Wasilla High School athletic director Paul Cossette said.

Houston soccer coach Chad Rice directs his team during conditioning drills alongside the Parks Highway in Wasilla Monday afternoon. (Matt Tunseth/Frontiersman)

Most teams are currently practicing in high school gyms, although some teams are getting outdoors when the weather is warm enough. Wasilla track coach Gary Howell said his team has been running on the track at the school, which is nearly ice-free.

“We’ve been getting outside almost every day,” Howell said.

This year’s mild spring promises to be a boon for spring sports teams, which are often hampered by having to wait for the snow and ice to melt.

“This is the earliest I can remember getting

outside,” Howell said.

Most area soccer teams have been taking turns on the turf at the Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, with teams getting about 90 minutes each of turf time.

On Monday, the Houston Hawks had the first session, with the Warriors taking the field immediately afterward while the Hawks headed outside for some light running.

With soccer fields and tracks quickly drying out, most coaches and administrators said teams likely will be heading outside for good sometime in the next week or so. As of now, however, the spring sports schedule can be a bit crowded, with multiple teams fighting for time in the gyms.

“It’s not easy,” Colony athletic director Mike Boyd said of the scheduling juggling.

Some soccer fields are close to being ready for play, while baseball diamonds have a bit of drying out left to do. That means baseball squads have been relegated to working on fundamentals and light throwing inside the gym.

“Our main focus is on the fundamentals right now,” Palmer baseball coach David Combs said.

In Talkeetna, the Susitna Valley High track and field team began practice Monday inside a portable classroom that’s being used as a physical education room. Athletic director James Sickler said the team will be running on treadmills and working out with weights until the upper Valley school’s track— which has significantly more snow than Palmer and Wasilla — is cleared off.

With athletes finally getting into the swing of spring, however, Sickler said there’s plenty of excitement for the final sports seasons of the school year.

“We’re looking forward to a fun season,” Sickler said.

The first track meet for most teams this year is scheduled for April 11 at the new Dome at ChangePoint in Anchorage. Colony will play the first soccer games of the season when the Knights travel to Juneau on April 4, while the first soccer games in the Mat-Su are scheduled for April 17. Most Valley baseball schedules are still being finalized.

    

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com