One thing about spring in Montana is you can always count on it to be completely unpredictable. That being said, while unpredictable, locals still expect to have an event or multiple events delayed or postponed due to weather. You just don't know when.

The recent spring storm carried with it a severe 'winter' advisory and left some places with significant amounts of snow. Single digit temperatures and wind chills affected much of the region as well. Naturally that meant the postponement or cancellation of a multitude of high school events.

As schools scramble to adjust schedules to get the kids as many opportunities to compete before the post season begins, coaches are left to find creative but effective ways to keep their student athletes engaged. District, Divisional and State Meets will be held in most cases despite the weather and teams need to get necessary practice time in to remain competitive.

Track and Field teams from Chinook, Harlem, Hays/Lodge Pole and Turner saw a big portion of their schedule wiped out. Chinook has had partial teams at three events thus far, Harlem two and the Thunderbirds and Tornadoes have been able to compete just once.

Harlem Head Coach Kim Faulkinberry stated her team has events scheduled this week but expects at least one will likely be canceled, "We are supposed to go to Cut Bank on Tuesday (April 19) but the wind and wind chill will probably prevent us from that meet. On Saturday (April 23) we are planning to go to Choteau. They put on a pretty nice meet that will probably grow to current cancellations."

Teams have had to move their practice sessions indoors and always seem to make the best of it. The time indoors may not allow the athletes to get actually event work in as far as race specific, jumping or throwing, but coaches have developed ways to utilize the time to improve technique, develop timing, strength and endurance.

The Sugarbeeters will join the Wildcats in Choteau this Saturday while the Tornadoes and Thunderbirds will next compete on Tuesday, April 26 at the rescheduled Cal Wearley Memorial as the season heads into the home stretch.

The Cal Wearley is the biggest meet of the season as far as teams and number of athletes participating is concerned. More than 30 teams from the Northern B, Northern C and Class A will be on hand to compete in the huge meet. The Cal Wearley is a great place to see where athletes are individually as compared to some of the top talent in the state.

Following the Cal Wearley the Wildcats and Sugarbeeters will be in Great Falls on Saturday, April 30. The Sugarbeeters,Thunderbirds and Tornadoes will head Rudyard on May 2 for the Jason Grosclose Memorial. The Top 10 will be held in Glasgow on Tuesday, May 3 and will feature the top ten performers in each event from the Northern B, Northern C and Eastern A. Hays/Lodge Pole will be Laurel Saturday, May 7 while the Wildcats and Tornadoes will be in Glasgow for the Jean Driekoson Memorial to conclude the regular season.

The post season will begin for the Chinook Sugarbeeters, Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds and Turner Tornadoes at the District 9C Track and Field Meet in Havre, Wednesday, May 11 at the Middle School Track. The Northern C Divisional will be in Great Falls May 19-20. The Harlem Wildcats will be in Glasgow on Saturday, May 14 for the District 2B Track and Field Meet. The Northern B will take place in Great Falls on Saturday, May 21. The Class B and Class C combined Boys and Girls State Track and Field Meet will be held in Great Falls the following week, May 27-28.

Golf programs in Chinook, Harlem and Hays/Lodge Pole have also had to get creative in how to prepare for the next time they can tee it up. Coaches generally utilize the indoor time to work on putting, rotation and knowledge of the swing and rules of the game.

The Sugarbeeters have been able to use the local simulator in town to work on their full swing as well as their short game. In addition the facility has a Video setup that allows a separate group to receive instructional videos available online to help improve technique.

Schedules for upcoming tournaments are still being finalized after the recent cancellations. The Sugarbeeters have scheduled a tournament in Sidney hosted by Fairview on April 27 and another in Fort Benton on April 29. The 'Beeters regular season will conclude with tournaments in Malta (April 30), Fort Benton (May 6) and Chinook (May 7). The Eastern C Divisional will be held in Sidney on Monday, May 9 and the State C Boys and Girls Golf Tournament will be in Bozeman, May 17-19.

The Wildcats are scheduled to conclude the regular season with tournaments in Fort Benton (April 25), Malta (April 30), Wolf Point (May 5) and Chinook (May 7). The Norther B Divisional will be held in Malta, May 9-10 and the State B Boys and Girls Golf Tournament will be played at Fairmont Hot Springs, May 16-18.

The Chinook Sugarbeeter and Harlem Wildcat Tennis teams have also been forced to move inside and like the other sports a rearranged schedule and altered practice schedule has been adapted by coaches and players alike.

Chinook and Harlem will resume their regular season schedule this week in Great Falls Friday and Saturday. The 'Beeters scheduled matches against Fort Benton and Chester/Joplin-Inverness originally scheduled for April 14 will take place on Monday April 25. Chinook will host Poplar on April 30 and head back to Great Falls on May 6 for their regular season finale.

Turner sophomore Trent Billmayer ran the 400 Meter Dash at the Havre Lions Track and Field Meet. Winter weather has forced the cancellation or postponements of several events for our area spring sport teams, but they have been hard at work staying ready for their next chance to compete.

The Northern B/C Divisional will take place in Havre, May 12-14. The top four singles players and top two doubles teams will advance to the State B/C Girls Tennis Tournament in Bozeman, May 19-21.