Waiting for snow to melt on Tabor Academy’s athletic fields was not an option for Dick Murtha.

With student-athletes returning from Florida and South Carolina to start practice on March 24, the school’s athletic director had crews clear fields with snow blowers.

“This is my thirty-third year at Tabor and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Murtha said. “It’s been a crazy winter.”

Temperatures have finally started to rise, but for several weeks snow covered fields disrupted team practices and game schedules.

At Old Rochester Regional High School, snow postponed junior varsity and varsity baseball scrimmages set for March 21. Games scheduled for March 27 were pushed back, too.

ORR Athletic Director Bill Tilden said the tennis courts had to be shoveled, as did the track. As for the fields, he hopes nature will take care of the snow soon.

“[Tennis coach] Bob Hohne has been here for thirty-five years and he told me it’s the worst he’s ever seen,” Tilden said. “We’ve had snow come down before this time of year, but it only lasts a day or two instead of sitting around for two months.”

Poor field conditions prompted the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to extend the cutoff date for teams looking to qualify for state tournaments, Tilden said.

The deadlines for all sports except track were extended one week. The track date was extended by three days, from May 25 to May 28.

“We’re definitely bumping our first game or two a little later,” Tilden said. “We hope to be playing next week. We’re not in bad shape.”

To cope with conditions, the directors said coaches are sharing gymnasiums and other indoor facilities at their respective schools.

Murtha said the school’s field house would be used for practices. Baseball and softball teams will use batting cages inside the Fish Center for Athletics.

Tabor’s sailing and crew teams are also eager to start practicing once the harbor is free of ice.

“We’re hopeful sailors and crew teams will start practicing soon, but parts of the harbor are still frozen,” Murtha said.

While high school sports have been impacted by the weather, one youth league is on track to play ball.

Since January, players in Gateway Youth Baseball have practiced inside The Cage in Marion as usual.

“It’s not that big, but it works for us and gets the kids swinging bats,” said Mike Messina, the league’s president.

The league is open to players 13 to 15 years old and includes several South Coast and Cape Cod cities and towns.

The teams are set to take the field after April vacation. Since some Gateway players are also on high school teams, Messina said field conditions would likely affect some league games.

“It’s a question of scheduling,” Messina said. “We always schedule around the schools so that kids can play on both teams. We don’t know what the schools are going to do right now.”