Byline: DAVID LA VAQUE; STAFF WRITER
As a freshman, Sara DuPaul saw Spring Lake Park's upperclassmen return from Florida sporting tans, trading stories and boasting sharper softball skills. She could not wait to make the trip this spring.
DuPaul, now a junior, and her Panthers teammates recently took part in spring training at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. More than 600 teams and 12,000 athletes in four sports (softball, baseball, track and field and lacrosse) from 35 different states and Canada train and compete there for a week at a time from February through April.
Spring Lake Park softball is one of 21 teams from 18 Minnesota high schools that traded cold weather and the doldrums of indoor practice this time of year for sunshine overhead and dirt and grass beneath their feet.
The experience is not cheap. Some players from various metro area schools spent more than $1,000 each. The price tag has the Minnesota State High School League discussing the elimination of spring break training trips because not every school can afford to travel. But those schools that head south said it enhances team bonding and jump-starts players' skills.
'As a pitcher, you get a few of the nerves out,' DuPaul said. 'And you get a feel for what's working and not working. As a team, we're getting a feel for who can fill spots and who can play where. I definitely think it will help because people are more comfortable. We don't have to wait and guess about what we have or how we're going to do.'
The total package
Picturesque weather, pristine fields and close proximity to leisure attractions give teams at the Disney complex the total package. Originally playing host to about 25 softball teams in 1998, the complex expanded to serve baseball, lacrosse and track and field teams in recent years.
Coaches and players bring their own equipment and rent facilities to conduct practices, scrimmages or games with teams from across the nation.
Teams foot the bills in different ways. Spring Lake Park's 16 softball players each paid $400 in addition to raising funds to pay for the $26,000 trip. The need to raise significant amounts of money is why the Panthers only travel every other year, coach Lori Lightbody said. The players were asked to invest 75 hours in fundraising during the past year.
'It was a struggle from time to time,' DuPaul said. 'The day we painted fire hydrants around the city it was extremely hot and the work was tedious. But everyone really chipped in and got almost all their hours.'
Parents of 22 Bloomington Jefferson baseball players and 20 Wayzata lacrosse players wrote checks ranging from $1,100 to $1,300 per player.
Dave Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League, has received phone calls from some parents and business owners who have grown tired of constant fundraising. Those calls, plus the strained economic climate, got the MSHSL board talking about eliminating spring break training trips.
'It's a delicate balance,' Stead said. 'The two questions are, `Can you limit opportunities?' and, `Can you equalize the playing field?''
Disney has also felt the economy's effects, as fewer teams will visit the complex this spring than in 2008, a record year. About 30 Minnesota high school teams traveled to the complex in 2007 and 2008 compared to 21 this spring. New York (108), Pennsylvania (73), New Jersey (65) and Connecticut (40) are the states that send the most teams.
Worth the trip
Despite minor concerns like keeping players from overexerting themselves during what amounts to two-a-day sessions and the varying skill levels of scrimmage opponents, coaches enjoy the on- and off-field benefits of traveling.
Coach Jim Gees is taking Bloomington Jefferson's baseball team on its ninth consecutive trip. Training in Florida, Arizona and the past three years at the Disney complex have paid dividends. The Jaguars were runners-up in the Class 3A state tournament last season.
'There has never been a year where I felt like it didn't do us good,' Gees said. 'It makes us competitive early.'
Mounds View boys' track and field coach Ross Fleming, who took about 20 athletes to the Disney complex in 2008, said: 'There are no limitations on the training. Even on a bad day when it's 50 degrees and drizzling, you don't have to worry about tearing a hamstring.'
Away from the field or track, kids enjoy the theme parks, relaxing poolside and creating memories. And of course, having a little fun. DuPaul said one player arranged 3 a.m. wake-up calls for the team.
'The girls came back two years ago and said how it's so much fun and it's all worth it,' DuPaul said. 'We're saying the same things now.'
