The weather becomes more mild, the hours of daylight increases, and the winter sports like basketball, volleyball, and wrestling return to their period of dormancy, only to be replaced by the sports of track, tennis, golf, and softball, marked by the beginning of spring.  

Michael Michelsen, who does cross-country in the fall and is participating in track this spring, reflected on the seasonal transition between the two sports.

He says that track is easier because of the warm weather, which contrasts greatly to the cold of late fall.

“In comparison to other sports, I find track to be a bit easier because it’s not really as cold,” Michelsen said.

Ironically, Michelsen said, the athletes work a lot harder in the warmer spring months.  

“At the same time, it can be harder because we typically are doing more in track than some of the other sports,” Michelsen said.

He said that weather played a significant role in the performance of players.

“Most people perform better during track than in outdoor winter sports, because you’re more comfortable in warm weather than in the cold of winter,” he said.

Although for most people, spring is the time to have fun outdoors, Michelsen says that track equally compensates for that impulse to expend massive amounts of recreational energy that have been building up during the winter outdoors.

“Track is a good way to pass time. Every now and then I feel like I could do something else, but most of the time I feel like track is indeed the best way to pass the time.”