Teams stay indoors to wait out the swelter

Area high school coaches haven't wasted any time this year. What little time they did have has been taken away.

Unfortunately, our local coaches (football and softball) have been missing plenty of practice time since preseason practices officially started the first week of August. Ridiculous heat, afternoon thunderstorms, paperwork, an early start to the school year and several other similar factors have taken their toll on pretty much all of our county's teams.

Instead of watching for weaknesses in their teams' offensive line, football coaches instead have sat in front of a computer screen, waiting for the triple-digit heat index to drop.

Most fans are wondering who their team will beat this year. Coaches are wondering what it will take to beat the heat.

A few creative solutions come to mind: convert to individually refrigerated helmets, rent ski-lodge snow makers for the practice fields, construct a Columbia County Dome (with FieldTurf), leave the GHSA to form the GHSAFL (Georgia High School Arena Football League), etc.

I may have gone a little overboard there - it's probably the heat.

Until it cools down a little, check out these upcoming sports events. All of them are indoors.

Aug. 15

Volleyball season in Columbia County will officially begin as Greenbrier plays the first game of the year in its own gym with a match against Richmond Academy at 5 p.m.

Aug. 18

Augusta Prep will hold a dedication ceremony for its new Boardman Athletic Center. The building is attached to the back of the original basketball gym and features a large weight room, dining area, gymnasium, locker rooms, dual access concessions, offices and multiple storage areas.

Aug. 23

Stay inside, turn up the air conditioning and grab a copy of the newly released 2006 Columbia County News-Times High School Football Preview Section. Included in the annual report will be an in-depth look at each team in the county, full schedules, predictions and the Super Nine - the best football players the county has to offer.

Aug. 29

The Evans/Lakeside rivalry will continue with a match-up on the volleyball court.

Lakeside grabbed a state playoff spot from Evans last year. The Lady Knights, playing at home, haven't forgotten how their 2005 season ended.

Aug. 31

Greenbrier, the best Columbia County team last year, will face Evans, probably the best Columbia County team this year. It's volleyball at its finest.