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Thinclads not competing in ideal weather conditions

Al Riffey wore a baseball cap at The Marietta Night Relays at Don Drumm Stadium Tuesday.

Normally, the veteran Warren track and field boys coach doesn’t don any kind of head gear at meets, but it was pretty cold that evening, a “balmy” 46 degrees.

Chances are, Riffey will probably have that same ballcap on when the Warrior thinclads compete at the Logan Mingo Relays at 4:30 p.m. today. The weather is expected to be a cool 47 degrees with showers in the afternoon forecast. The 47 degrees will feel more like 39 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com.

Also scheduled today is the Parkersburg South Invitational at the Erickson All Sports Facility. The high there is expected to be about 50 degrees (but will feel more like 42).

Generally speaking, prep outdoor track and field meets aren’t affected by the weather. The show usually goes on, rain or shine, or hot or cold.

“We were all worried yesterday (Monday, April 4),” said Marietta High girls track boss Mollie Schramm at the Night Relays. “When the sun was out today (Tuesday), it was very manageable.

“The wind hasn’t been bad. The flags have been hanging down. So, we’ve had colder and windier. We’ll definitely take this over yesterday’s practice.”

By the way, the average temperature at this time of the year is around 62 degrees.

Marietta incidentally is also slated to run at the Mingo Relays at Logan High.

Looking at Saturday’s weather forecast for the Belpre Shrine Relays at 10 a.m. and the 39th annual Dick Dei Track Classic at Wheeling Park at 9:30 a.m., the athletes may be greeted by snow showers. Look for a lot of people in blankets, toboggans and winter clothing. Some might even be in extreme weather or waterproof tents.

“Unfortunately the weather isn’t going to be very good,” said first-year Belpre boys track coach Erwin DeGraef. “It’s going to be cold.”

Parkersburg High’s ‘B’ team is entered in the Belpre Shrine Relays, but its ‘A’ squad will be competing on the track at Wheeling Park, where the snowfall from Friday night to Saturday will be about 1 to 2 inches.

“We have got in West Virginia to get this season later,” said PHS boys track coach Rod O’Donnell during a break in Tuesday’s Marietta Night Relays. “We’re a northern state, and we’re running a southern schedule. I’ve said that many times. For our state meet to be over at the end of May and starting in the middle of March the way this climate is, I mean, it’s just not right. It’s just not fair. And, I don’t mean us (PHS) in a minute. Everybody runs in it. I don’t mean that it gives us an advantage or disadvantage. But for these kids’ sake, these are difficult conditions.

“And, it’s going to be more difficult Saturday in Wheeling. They’ve said they’re not going to cancel, and they’ll never going to cancel, which is fine.”

O’Donnell paused.

“If they cancelled sports because of weather, Green Bay wouldn’t have a football team,” the Big Reds boss continued. “But, it’s just hard on kids.

“I cannot emphasize enough that I’m not trying to make this a Parkersburg issue. It’s a West Virginia issue. They’ve got to look at it. It’s just not right.”

Only one thing is certain about a slow motion spring with snow and colder temperatures in the forecast, if Riffey has a hat on, it’s definitely not ideal track and field weather.

Ron Johnston is a Marietta Times sports writer and can be reached at (740)373-2121, x534, or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com

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