The spring sports season offers a wide variety of sports to students at North High. With its perfect temperature and high vibe, spring is arguably one of the best seasons to play sports. Recently, this season’s sports have gained more and more popularity amongst students, with many participating and viewing them. Here, I’ll break down the sports and take a look at what truly makes each sport so unique and appealing to students.

For boys, some sports available include baseball, lacrosse, tennis, track, and even golf. The boys’ baseball team is a competitive team and definitely not easy to play on. With practices outdoors, whether rain or shine, baseball athletes must face tough situations of endurance and strength. Facing pitches of 60-75 mph can be extremely challenging, and to many, baseball does not receive the attention it deserves. Both the JV and Varsity teams are ready to practice and showcase their talent out on the field.

“Baseball is a pretty chill season and I spend a lot of time outside with friends, said sophomore Charlie Shapiro. “I really enjoy baseball because I’ve been playing for a while and it’s always fun.”

As for the girls, some sports offered are badminton, lacrosse, softball, and track. The girls’ softball team is less competitive than that of the boys’, but that does not mean their team isn’t full of talent. With a smaller team, each individual player has a much larger chance to improve their gameplay and play on the field.

Sophomore Lia Tselebis, trying out for the JV Softball team, said, “I am really excited about going into Softball because the weather is getting warmer and I can play with my friends.” She continued, “Since we are so close to summer, everyone is excited, and that energy often translates onto the field.”

The next sport available for boys and girls is lacrosse. This year, over 80 students decided to try out for the boys’ JV and Varsity lacrosse teams combined. This is a new record, and calls for definite cuts after tryouts, something which is normally extremely rare to see in North High lacrosse.

Lacrosse is a sport of agility and strength, but does not require massive players to score goals. Top-scoring players in the PLL are actually quite the opposite, with small yet quick players often being at the top. In New York, as well as around the world, lacrosse has been increasing in popularity, gaining hundreds of new players everyday. Teams at North High hope to keep as many players as they can, and a hopefully bright season shines ahead.

“Being [the seniors’] last high school sport, I think I can speak on behalf of all the seniors when I say that we’re going to give it our all,” said senior Brian Asnadi, who is part of the varsity lacrosse team. “We’ve already built trust in one another and our team already feels like a family.”

Boys’ tennis is another huge sporting team, usually quite competitive during tryouts. Although not everyone can be kept on the team, North High’s tennis team is still one of the best in the district, with many successful players on both JV and Varsity.

Tennis is a sport that requires speed and finesse. Tennis matches are known for their intensity as well as competitiveness, making it a popular choice for many athletes of all ages.

“I think tennis is a great sport for spring,” said sophomore Aiden Sheena, who is trying out for the boys’ Varsity tennis team. “The vibes are really good and I have a pretty good relationship with most of my teammates.”

Finally, spring track has come around the corner and will find runners awaiting the plentiful season. Arguably the best season of running for athletes, the warm weather provides a healthy and encouraging environment for athletes to get in shape, and, most of all, have fun while doing it.

Compared to winter track, spring track allows runners to run freely without worries of their fingers getting frozen off, and is usually the season where most personal records are placed.

“Spring track is my favorite over winter because I can spend time with teammates and friends outside for a longer period of time in the warmer weather,” said junior Janeidy Da Silva, a current member of the girls’ spring track team. “Winter track is also known for being more of a training period and preparation for spring, where you really want to give it your all.”

Overall, spring sports are a great place to start a sport or continue growing as a player. Spring is a fantastic season with super warm weather and many people trying out for different sports. If you haven’t given it a shot, why not? Simply being outside with friends is a great form of stress relief and exercise too offers many mental and physical benefits. Plus, it allows students to take their minds out of being a student and instead to thrive as an athlete.