Stormy Weather Delays Sport Activiites

Pleasanton athletes will have to keep their cleats in their closets again this weekend due to recent rain that relentlessly hammered down on sports fields all over town.

The has called for closure of all 10 sports fields in Pleasanton today. The status of the closures for each field will be updated at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Twelve of the past 14 days have been rained out, said Daniel Villasenor, a recreation supervisor with the City of Pleasanton.

This means cancellations for games and practices for baseball, softball and rugby teams all over town, according to league presidents.

Last weekend’s citywide field closures cancelled out opening day for the Pleasanton Girls Softball League, which encompasses a whopping 877 total of players on approximately 70 teams.

The league’s president, Rich Martin, said that it wasn’t a surprise for them since the rain was forecasted even before the annulment of the league’s opening day games and activities on March 19.

“If you can’t play, you can’t play. We weren’t caught by surprise,” Martin said.

Storms also called off dozens of games for the Pleasanton National Little League (PNLL), in which more than 650 kids play on 56 teams.

PNLL board president Holly Johnson said the league notifies families about game cancellations once they receive word from city officials who determine whether fields will be open.

Unpredictable weather is all a part of any spring sport, Johnson added.

“Baseball is a sport that can’t be played in the rain or when the fields are real wet.  I remember a few years back, our opening day was 80 degrees, and we were having our kids put on sunscreen – that’d be a March I’d like to see again!” wrote in an email interview.

Pleasanton Foothill Little League has only been able to play two days since its opening day on March 12, said PFLL president Lisa Skerl.

“Each player has missed two to three games, and we’re not sure how we’re going to make it up,” Skerl said.

Most of the leagues said they will schedule make-up games but that some of the games missed were exhibition games that won’t count when calculating team standings.

The wet weather has also affected practices. For PFLL, it means indoor training has been used.

For the Pleasanton Rugby Football Club it means practices have been moved onto concrete instead of fields.

“The weather has definitely played havoc on our season. For the last three weeks we have been training on the blacktop at local parks to get some conditioning and ball handling,” league president Paul Bretz wrote in email.

Rugby teams were not able to play for the past two weekends. Today they travel to Moraga to play at Campolindo High School through Sunday, but Bretz said they’re looking forward to playing on Pleasanton fields.

“Hopefully, the rain will stop. The kids are itching to hit again,” Bretz said.

According to city officials, field closures are put in place for two reasons: safety and maintenance. League presidents said they are appreciative of how city administrators keep the leagues updated on field conditions.

“We realize and understand that they are protecting their field,” Skerl said. “We go with whatever they instate. If the fields are closed, we back them 100 percent.”

Martin added, “We’re ready to go when the weather is.”

To keep up to date on field closures, visit the city website here.