Spring sports are kicking off at Camas High School (CHS). In total, there are six sports, including track and field, girls tennis, boys soccer, fastpitch softball, baseball and girls golf.
The sport with the biggest turnout this season is track and field, with a total of 234 students. Their first meet is at home at Cardon Field on Wednesday, March 20 at 3:30 p.m.
Several of the track athletes are looking forward to the warm and dry weather later in the season. This helps them to compete at a higher level and meet their goals for the season.
“My goal for the distance team is to collectively get a lot of [personal records] in the mile and two-mile races,” CHS junior Sophia Shattls said. Her personal goal is to break five minutes and 45 seconds in the mile.
Varsity track and field athletes participate in around 10 meets each season, but there are a total of five dual meets.
Wise has been coaching since 1997, though she took a quick break a few years back.
“Just being around the athletes, that’s really the reason I came back in 2020, that year, it was just sucking the life out of me, my father-in-law had passed away and I just needed to be around some smiles and kids that were having fun,” CHS Head Coach Alisa Wise said.
The recent cold and rainy weather has impacted the practices of many CHS sports including tennis, fastpitch softball and baseball.
“Tennis is our sport that gets hit the hardest with the weather, as we don’t have a cover for our courts, so they often get moved inside the gym which is a small space for their sport,” CHS Athletic Director Stephen Baranowski said.
Baseball and fastpitch softball also cannot operate on the fields they normally use due to rainy weather. Oftentimes, they will utilize the fieldhouse during the poor weather conditions. The covered driving range is where girls golf practices, so they do not have to worry about poor weather conditions. Track and field and soccer are both able to operate at their practices, during all weather conditions.
Many coaches and athletes have great hope for the upcoming season.
“Track, [girls] golf and [girls] tennis all typically have state competitors, and our girls tennis team are back-to-back defending state champions,” Baranowski said.
“My goal for the upcoming tennis season is to win state for a third time,” CHS junior reigning singles girls tennis champion Hailey Kerker said.
She mentioned that with the addition of a few new girls from club tennis, it might be tougher than last year.
Kerker also mentioned that the team environment they have is very positive and healthy, with the girls always supporting each other’s endeavors.
The spring sports postseason is looking promising for many athletes with lots of goals and hopes. With the consistent good team environments and uplifting atmosphere, all of the spring sports have a decent shot at making it to state.
