Introduction

As sports start back up, there is a lot of information that we students and athletes don’t know – but hunger to know.  What time will practice be?  Must we wear masks while we play?  And so on. Mr. Gross and Mrs. Gray have helpfully relayed some further details about the upcoming season. They have attended numerous meetings with School Board officials and other staff members around the County discussing the start of all sports. They have some good news that we hope is encouraging for our student athletes.

When Will Sports Begin?

There are a lot of students who would love to get information about the startup of sports, and after a thorough interview with Mr. Gross, the athletic director at Huntingtown Highschool, at lot of questions have been answered. For the students who have not found out yet, fall sports start on February 20th. The first games for those sports will greet us on March 12th.

Safety

Reality dictates that those sports will require a mask, but fortunately mask rules will be lightened up a bit when athletes go outside. When they are near each other though – even in the out-of-doors – masks will be required. Students with asthma will get mask breaks when they get on the bench, as long as they are able to sit far away from the other students. To take extra precautions in safety, there will be other procedures as well. For sports that use the weight room, the equipment there will be cleaned and refurbished about once a month. Only around 3 to 4 students will be allowed in the locker rooms at a time and no students are to be playing around and wasting time, just to be safe.

Practice Scheduling

With hybrid learning starting on March 8th, practice times are looking to be pushed back to about 4:00pm so the students will have some time to practice while there is still daylight. Unfortunately, the school and the County do not have the resources to test students continuously before games and practices. With that being said, we all must do our part to keep each other safe during this extremely complicated process of getting sports back.  We all share this important responsibility, so every one of us needs to play our part to take the proper precautions to keep sports going.

Extra Details

We also interviewed Mrs. Gray who reinforced Mr. Gross’s perspective and some additional thoughts.   She is a little bit concerned with students abruptly returning to sports without much working-out and conditioning, but she is confident that students will get back in good shape for their respective sports. The whole process of getting students to practice and games will obviously be chaotic. Throughout it all, people must take the necessary precautions to stay safe, because if one person contracts the virus everything will be shut down at the school.  Nobody wants to see it come to that!

Our Opinion

As student athletes we greet all this as great news. We have been stuck inside our houses for so long and know that many students miss their teams and friends. These sports usually have an impact on students’ motivation for school as well. We know that many coaches hold their students accountable for their grades and that is the determining factor in whether they will play or not. So, if students are slacking because they have lost motivation, hearing this news might help them get back on track. Obviously playing with masks is not the most comfortable option or ideal for participating in the sport, but if it is what we must do to have sports back, then we have to take the necessary precautions. Having just practices back is even better than nothing, so if we continue to practice while following the restrictions and it allows schools to participate in games that is what we must do. So now we know fall sports are just around the corner and that this is the first step in bringing us back from the quarantine lifestyle.

Conclusion

When all is said and done, the precautions we will take are necessary for the return of sports and school in general. There are many student athletes out there who have been waiting for this the entire year. Finally, getting the news that sports are coming back to school, and potentially having a season, is a step in the right direction and allows us to prepare for seasons yet to come.