Many CHS girls tennis games have been canceled due to rainy weather in these last few weeks. Such as the game vs Hilsboro on April 18th where only 0.118 inches of rain fell. Additionally the match against Canby on April 19th was canceled with a rain total of 0.154 inches. Another game was canceled on April 20th, this time against Putnam with 0.372 inches of rain. Please note that these are only a few examples, not a full picture of all of the canceled games. This will likely result in back to back rescheduled games. But if the weather doesn’t clear up soon to make availability for rescheduling, there may be worse repercussions. Of course the players suffer the most from this, likely having to play in games multiple days a week to make up for lost time. All of those factors may stir up frustration from fans or players wondering if it’s worthwhile to cancel a tennis match over a rainy day.

Unsurprisingly, there are many reasons why rain would severely impact a tennis game, such as risks of injury. Tennis relies on a lot of movement around the court, so slipping during a game on a wet court is extremely easy. Players often slide during games, so if courts are covered in water it will be harder to stop sliding, and any dry spots on the court while sliding could make players stop abruptly mid slide and injure themselves. Also, rain is likely to decrease visibility and of course, it’s vital for the tennis player to see the ball for proper game play.

As well as causing injuries, heavy rainfall can also damage tennis equipment. Tennis balls quickly absorb water and increase in weight. While this may not damage the ball in the long run, the extra weight can certainly damage the string on the racket, due to the extra strain on the strings from the increased weight of the ball. The extra weight on the ball will also affect its bounce and speed rendering it unsuitable for competitions. Additionally, the grip on a racket is designed to absorb sweat, which means it will also absorb water, which will cause damage after a while. However the most likely equipment damage to occur is from the player falling. If a player falls in the rain there’s a good chance they’ll break their equipment based on the position in which they landed. All in all, nobody wants to damage their equipment in exchange for a couple rainy games.

The top priority at CHS is always safety, this includes tennis athletes. It is not worth it to cause unnecessary injury to players or their equipment for the sake of keeping a schedule. While it’s always disappointing when a match gets canceled because of weather, there is validity behind the decision to keep players off the court. It’s important to not direct frustration towards the wrong source, coaches and anybody else involved with the decision to cancel games should not be scapegoats for disappointment. Hopefully, the weather clears up quickly allowing our tennis team to play safely, but for the time being the best we can do is stay patient.