"If it ain't raining, we ain't training"

In late fall and early winter in Buffalo, Mother Nature starts to play games with the weather, forcing UB athletes to continually battle the elements along with their opponents and creating a stormy challenge for every outdoor sport.

The characteristic wild temperature fluctuations and rash snow and wind make for an uncertain sports forecast, and each sport has its own enemy.

"Wind for rowers is awful," said Rudy Wieler, the head coach of the rowing team. "It creates rough conditions and possibly even water in the boats. Wind is definitely our number-one nemesis."

The women's crew team competes regardless of almost all weather conditions. The only thing that keeps these athletes out of the water is ice. When the team encounters windy conditions that splash water into the boat, they use sponges to get rid of it. Pails can never be used because the extra weight would slow the boat down.

"Shells (boats) have sunk, but you try to never let it get to that point," Wieler said. "If you're in a lake and it's wide open, you can't row when it's windy."

According to coaches and players, each team at UB does its best to work their priorities around all the potential weather conditions that might arise.

Tennis is another sport that is affected heavily by strong wind. During windy games, tennis coach Cathy Twist said the ball must be hit according to the direction that the wind is blowing and both hot and cold weather have a tremendous effect on how the athletes prepare for a match.

"In both hot and cold weather, as a coach you have to prepare for it," Twist said. "We tell the athletes to drink a lot of water the night before a hot match and maybe bring a Gatorade to the game. For a cold game, they take longer warm-ups and dress appropriately."

While a lot of the preparation for these sports is common sense, the problem remains that organizing a sports program is far more complicated for schools located in the north. A large part of the tennis budget is focused on contingency plans that prepare for weather conditions.

"As a northern school, our players have to be good on indoor as well as outdoor courts," Twist said. "If it rains, we have to wait it out and since the (Mid-American Conference) encompasses a lot of traveling, that makes it tough. Northern Illinois didn't come all that way to wait."

While the tennis players can only hope for rain to stop long enough for someone to squeegee the courts, the UB cross country team welcomes the worst possible conditions.

"We train in all conditions," said Victoria Mitchell, head coach of the men's and women's cross-country teams. "I am a firm believer that training in tough conditions makes you tough. When it comes to race day, our UB athletes are mentally tougher than other teams as a result of dealing with adverse conditions."

Mitchell said that cold and snowy conditions are the biggest challenge for the runners. Ice can be dangerous while cold can cause frostbite.

"Yes, we do run in bad weather," Mitchell said. "However, there is not a very high risk of injury unless the athlete falls. On the more mild days, we have been known to go and shovel a lane on the track and do our workouts outside in the middle of January."

It is easier to imagine the impact that weather can have on some sports than others. In football, it is obvious that rainy or snowy conditions would slow the pace of the game and increase the likelihood of a fumble, but in soccer, a wet field can actually increase the game's tempo.

"I think when it's wet the ball travels a little bit faster," said Jean Tassy, head coach of the women's soccer team. "It makes the play a little bit faster, but for the most part, we are able to manage it."