2020 Schedule

Saturday, March 21—First day of practice. Time to be announced.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020, Southinton

Monday, April 13, 2020, at Rocky Hill

Monday, April 20, 2020, at Newington

Thursday, April 23, Granby Memorial

Friday, April 24, 2020, at Lewis Mills

Monday, April 27, 2020, at Tolland

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at Platt

Friday, May 1, 2020, Wethersfield

Monday, May 4, 2020, at Simsbury

Wednesday, May 6, Bloomfield

Friday, May 8, 2020, New Britain

Monday, May 11, 2020, Middletown

Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Bristol Central

Friday, May 15, 2020, East Catholic

Monday, May 18, 2020, at Bristol Eastern

Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at Maloney

Friday, May 22, 2020, Berlin

There may be another match added. Stay tuned.

Elements—Cold, Wind, Thunder: To play or not to play...

The coldest day I can remember for a match was 29º. We should not have played, but I was a beginning coach and didn't know my options. I would not do that again.

Only once have we cancelled a match because of wind, but both coaches agreed that the conditions were dangerous and unplayable.

Otherwise we play—with some exceptions:

1. Some sports can play through a light rain or drizzle. In tennis we cannot. Once the court has lost all its dry spots, we stop. A wet tennis court is a slippery place to be, and since the sport requires rapid changes in position, quick starts and stops, and even a reasonably resilient ball, we don’t play in the rain. We can practice of course, but only because we can control our movements.

If we encounter a passing shower during a match, we will wait it out for a reasonable amount of time. The sun dries all courts quickly. Even an overnight spring snowstorm does not necessarily cancel the following day's practice.

2. Lightning presents a different problem. This is from the CIAC handbook:

• When thunder is heard or a cloud-to-ground lightning bolt is seen, the leading edge of the thunderstorm is close enough to strike your location with lightning. Suspend play for 30 minutes and take shelter immediately. (If we're away, that means boarding the bus. At home, back to the school building.)
• Thirty-minute rule. Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or flash of lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play.
• Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30-minute count will reset the clock and another 30-minute count should begin

3. A 90º day in May is not usually a problem—we keep the players hydrated and allow frequent breaks. A fluky 90º day in early April is worse—no one is ready for it. We don't call off matches because of heat, but as coaches we are aware of the dangers, and our First-Aid training alerts us to the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. We will monitor the players—they must also monitor themselves. There are no hero points for collapsing on the court.