by Jake Boese | The girls’ soccer team, along with all spring sports, has had a rough practice schedule to begin the 2013 season. With all kinds of extended winter weather, the team has had to hold fewer practices outside on the turf compared to most seasons.

“It’s been a nightmare,” head coach Thomas Rottjakob said. “Even when we get out there it’s so cold we can’t work on the tactical side of the game. Players who haven’t played with each other usually have the first three weeks for that. We can’t work on what we need to offensively and defensively in the gym. Everyone on the Kansas City side is having the same issue so we’re not too far behind.”

The gym cannot provide the appropriate amount of space for effective practices.

“We’ve been practicing in the gym so the space is really limited,” sophomore Emma Baldridge said. “We don’t get good touches on the ball and when we practice on the turf it’s really slippery so it’s pretty hard.”

The practices have not been completely negative though; they have provided a bonding time for a team with some unfamiliar player.

“The worst thing we had to do was shovel,” junior Kaitlyn Clark said. “But we had a competition with the orange and yellow team to build the best snowman. And then we played capture the flag during the blizzard.”

The tough practice conditions have lead to a slow start to the season, but the players know they can turn it around.

“The first game we didn’t play well at all. We have a bunch of good players so once we start playing as a team we’ll be pretty good,” Baldridge said.

Many leaders left the team this past offseason, leaving a void to fill for this team’s seniors.

“We lost a lot of players so my expectations aren’t too high but we do have a lot of potential,” Clark said.

This year’s seniors have plenty of experience to be able to step up.

“We know what Rottjakob expects out of us,” senior Alexa Wright said. “All of the seniors have stepped up as leaders. We coach ourselves on the field since we know what coach expects.”

The seniors have been players that the younger, more inexperienced players can look up to.

“My sister is a senior so that does a lot for me; she is a great role model. The seniors do a lot to lift us up if we make mistakes,” Baldridge said.

The team knows that improvement will lead to success as the season continues.

“We need to make sure we get better every day,” Rottjakob said. “As a coach that’s always what I strive for. We have a lot of inexperience at certain positions and if we improve we can be really good by the end of the season.”