Rain itself isn’t a problem, but waterlogged fields, thunderstorms, lightning, cold rain, extreme temperatures or unsafe driving conditions due to flooding or winter storms can cause problems. Check the appropriate weather communication channel(s) below before heading to the fields if:
- there has been any significant rain in the previous 48 hours
- the weather forecast calls for rain or storms
- extreme heat (heat index 105 or higher)
- extreme cold (wind chill below 20 degrees)
- roads are icy from a winter storm
- roads are flooded from heavy rains
Weather communication channel: Check our Junior Academy Girls News page.
Quick links:
Practice sessions:
If fields are closed, but weather is playable, we often try to find another option, sometimes successfully. A quick review of what / when to check for weather-related changes:
Junior Academy Girls News page:
If you only have time to check one thing, check our Junior Academy Girls News page. We update by 4 PM on days when we have to switch from our normal schedule. We don’t post weather updates on a daily basis, only when we switch from normal routine.)
Our Junior Academy Girls News page takes priority over the general NASA Tophat field status updates — not for all NTH groups, but for our particular Junior Academy Girls group.
What about e-mail?
If time and logistics permit, we’ll send a group e-mail. In many cases, lack of time or being away from a full-sized keyboard prevents us from e-mailing. We can quickly update our Twitter feed from mobile devices. But sending a group e-mail requires some “sit down” time, so it’s not practical if we’re driving to or are already at the field.
Links:
We occasionally rent indoor space when NTH fields are closed. Here are some of our backup locations:
- Fullers Park Rec Center
- Marietta Indoor Sports (also called Street Soccer Indoor)
- Wolf’s Indoor Soccer
Rain-out?
We occasionally strike out on alternate options and have to cancel practice. In those cases, we’ve put together some rainy day activities to keep the girls involved. Link: rainy day activities
Game days:
The practice session info above also applies to game days. There are two other factors: early morning games and away games.
Early morning games:
In the case of early morning games, there’s a chance you’ll have to be on the road to the field before the “play or cancel” decision is made or posted. Our coaches are in the same situation as our families. We may have to hit the road before we know if games are still on.
If we find out games are canceled, we’ll update our Junior Academy Girls News page right away. But we may not be able to send a group e-mail at the same time. That task requires “sit down” time, and isn’t practical if we’re driving to or are already at the field.
Away games:
The “play or cancel” decisions are made by the host club. NTH field status doesn’t apply to our away games. Some clubs post to a phone hot-line, some to a web site, some post via text, some use multiple methods. We include away game field status channels on our game day pages. Some clubs post updates early, some not so early. Some club’s phone hot-lines have frequent busy signals, some don’t.
Real life example:
We had 9:00 AM away games, about a 45-minute drive from home. Warm-ups started at 8:30 AM, so families needed to leave their houses around 7:40 AM. The host club canceled at 7:54 AM. Ideal? No. But we can’t control this situation, so we deal with it.
Rule of thumb:
If game-day weather is bad, or there has been significant rain in the previous 48 hours, assume games are “on” and will be played as scheduled. Before you head to the fields, check our Junior Academy Girls News page for any last-minute updates, or for away games, check the host club’s field status hot-line or web site for updates.