Green and gold jerseys will still be seen all over campus this spring break. Friday brings with it the first day when students will take off to various parts of the world ?” mostly Southern California ?” and have some fun in the sun with practically no worries about schoolwork.

Not Hornet athletes, however, as six spring sports will be playing at least one game/match/meet at home. From Friday until March 19 there will be 21 home sporting events taking place either on-campus or nearby. The Hornet student-athletes are used to playing through the break as most of them have played spring sports their entire lives.

“It’s part of our job,” Hornet men’s tennis player Warwick Foy said. “We’re student-athletes and it just so happens that our matches coincide with spring break.”

The sentiment is felt throughout the different teams. Even while their peers are away from Sacramento partying and visiting friends and relatives, the athletes know that spring break isn’t time for a vacation.

“It’s nothing new so it’s not a surprise,” softball outfielder Lindy Winkler said. “You know when you start playing that you’re not going to have a spring break; it’s kind of an unwritten rule.”

Baseball infielder Pat Keiper has been playing ball his entire life and doesn’t mind not having a time away from school. Baseball’s schedule is the most rigorous, playing eight games over the 10-day span, all of which will be at Hornet Field. Keiper prefers having all the games at home instead of away.

“It’s a lot easier when you get to sleep in your own bed and play ball the next day,” Keiper said.The Hornets that won’t be able to sleep in their own beds for most of their spring break is the men’s tennis squad, which will travel to Southern California to take on Cal Poly, UC San Diego, Azusa Pacific and Vanguard.

Their final game over the break will be at home. Home tennis matches are played at the Rio Del Oro Racquet Club, except for this Sunday’s women’s match against Idaho State that will be played on campus at the school tennis courts.

Sac State will also be hosting a softball tournament next week, though not at Shea Stadium. The Capitol Classic Softball Tournament features 16 teams from around the country and will be played at the Sacramento Softball Complex on March 17-19.

The Causeway Cup continues this Sunday when the gymnastics team takes on UC Davis. The meet will be the 51st time that the two teams have competed against each other in gymnastics with the Hornets leading the all time series 32-18.

Even the Hornet rowing crew will be in action at home over the short vacation. Senior Laura Harder, who rows for the Varsity Eight at stroke, knows that rowing doesn’t tend to be a spectator sport, but fans do make it out to Lake Natoma to watch the events.

“People do come out and it is exciting,” Harder said. “The first 1,700 (meters) are hard to watch, but the last 300 are the most exciting because everyone is tired, but you still have to try your hardest to finish strong.”

Students, not student-athletes, will be doing whatever they want while the athletes will be practicing, competing and trying hard to finish on top. It’s not until the season is over when the fun can begin.

“We wait until the season is over and then we can do whatever we want,” Foy said.

Armando Botello II can be reached at [email protected]