Fort Lee Sports Scene Shifting From Winter to Spring

It may still look and feel like winter outside, but Sunday did mark the first official day of spring.

Along with that change, Fort Lee and many other local high schools are in the process of transitioning to the new spring sports season after the conclusion of the previous winter games.

It is often a time of excitement for those athletes embarking on a new sports season and sadness for the athletes whose seasons have ended.

But the amount of behind-the-scenes work and time that goes into putting one season in the books and opening another is rarely, if ever, talked about.

That is the task at hand for Fort Lee High School Athletic Director Pat Ambrosio.

He and his staff are close to ending what he considers one of “the toughest and longest seasons” of the year.

Ambrosio has set up an end-of-the-season checklist with his coaching staffs that includes the process of uniform return, numbering inventory of equipment from start to finish and a final description of the season by listing stats, highlights and awards for record keeping.

“It is a compliment to both me, the coaching staff, the athletic secretary, the athletic trainer and the school nurse that nobody sees that there is a hitch in the process,” Ambrosio said. “You only see things when they are bad often times…it really is a team effort in terms of getting to the end. If one piece is kind of missing, then you have problems.”

The athletic director mentioned that most teams have completed the process with the remaining few nearing the conclusion.

The process also includes a wish list for next year, something that starts an ongoing conversation between Ambrosio and his coaches on what the teams need in order to better succeed.

“Every single coach wants what is best for their program and their kids,” he said of the wish list. “I want to know what is going to keep them happy, what is going to keep the kids motivated, and what is going to keep them one step ahead of the competition. That wish list doesn’t always come true but sometimes we put a two or three year plan together to get that wish list done.”

While finishing that, the multi-tasking Pat Ambrosio is also taking steps toward the new spring season, like meeting with the head coaches, talking to their assistants and handing out equipment for the upcoming year.

Also, with many of the sports being played outside as opposed to the mostly indoor winter sports, Ambrosio must deal with the task of inspecting the fields for proper safety.

“Anything outdoors, you are subject to anything,” he said of the problems that could exist outside after the winter months. “If I haven’t been on that field since end of October or first week of November, you’re talking about [four months] that a lot of things could have happened.”

Because of the uncertainties that may lie under the snow or with less than ideal conditions, Fort Lee is well equipped to hold indoor practices for all teams.

“We are lucky we have access to the East gym which is the larger gym and the West Gym which is a little smaller gym,” Ambrosio said on Wednesday. “You think about 5 or 6 programs and 2 or 3 levels of each of those programs. [We are] servicing about 200 winter athletes on a day like today where no one goes outside.”

The teams share use of the facilities, including both gyms and the weight room. Baseball and softball have access to indoor hitting cages and stations, track utilizes the open and long hallways for running and the tennis team also serves court for practice as well.

Something new this year is the ability of the golf team to practice indoors with better equipment. Ambrosio and head coach Bob Ciccone have worked closely to purchase numerous additions from a previous wish list that accommodates the Bridgemen in bad weather while also saving money on transportation.

 “We purchased some extra netting that they can drive into, some chipping matting they can use inside in the small gym, some putting greens and some golf whiffle balls,” Ambrosio said. “You simulate the outside game inside and it doesn’t cost you $250 that it costs to go [to the driving range]. Those are the things we are trying to do to be fiscally responsible for the community in light of the economic crisis that we are in.”  

Ambrosio also stressed that they did not cut resources for the golfers but rather modified it “so that we can save some money, and [the players] can still get [their] swings in.”

Transportation is a growing concern for Fort Lee athletics and many other local schools, especially with the rising costs of of gas and even drivers.

“Without question, after the salaries (the stipends for the coaches during the year) the transportation cost is the highest,” Ambrosio admitted. “We may have shaved some of that money by using our in house district busing, which was another really big tool that we used to be fiscally responsible.”

But after talking about business, problems that can happen and procedures to adhere to, Athletic Director Pat Ambrosio opened up about what the start of the spring sports season means to him.

“I love spring. I love being outside,” he said. “The days are longer and you feel alive when the sun is out until nine o’clock at night…. It’s great. It is really something to look forward to.”

And with many of the teams already practicing and competing in scrimmages, the start of games is quickly approaching. Most programs will start their schedules on or after April 1 with the exception of the Bridgemen baseball team, which will be playing in Florida on March 29 for a few days before returning home.  

So as the snow melts and the temperature rises, the spring sports season at Fort Lee High School will start soon because of all the work during the offseason that never makes headlines.

Be sure to check back Friday  for the beginning of our spring previews with a look at the boys' tennis team, followed by more previews next week for the remaining Fort Lee teams.