Sports are undeniably ingrained in high school spirit and culture. Traditionally, athletes devote themselves to hours of physically draining practice every week, along with a rigorous game schedule. However, COVID-19 regulations have postponed the thrill of sports seasons. As athletes have been locked up inside their homes for months during stay-at-home orders, they are being torn away from something often used as a way to socialize and maintain their physical health.
“Starting swim team as a freshman, I was able to connect with other students and felt a strong sense of school pride and unity”
Despite the risk sports pose during the pandemic, practices can be handled in a way that protects both the students and faculty. Summer and fall training have been held since June in accordance with the San Mateo Union High School District’s safety guidelines. As a result, there have not been any reported COVID-19 outbreaks in training cohorts. Under the guidelines, all coaches and athletes are required to wear masks and undergo temperature checks while entering and leaving the training session.
Sports leagues across the country have also been making adjustments to continue their seasons in a safe way. Professional sports operate on a larger scale and pose a greater safety threat, however many are still planning to continue their seasons. In order to lower the risk of transmission, games could follow strict safety guidelines such as having frequent COVID-19 tests and no spectators, in addition to what the district already has in place.
Other high schools across the nation are holding classes in person for their students and offering extracurricular activities safely, including sports. As of now, the California Interscholastic Federation has stated that all sports seasons will be delayed until Dec. 14. High school sports pose a much lower safety risk than professional sports because of a more localized travel routine and less frequent games planned. Therefore, modifications can still be easily made to decrease the likelihood of infection during training and games. For students, the benefits of practicing regularly with their teams outweigh any risk, after safety precautions.
Many Aragon students, myself included, have used sports as a way to maintain physical health and interact with peers. As an athlete participating in water polo and swimming, practices were a way for me to have fun and interact with the Aragon community. Starting swim team as a freshman, I was able to connect with other students and felt a strong sense of school pride and unity.
However, the absence of sports seasons would make students feel isolated. With most schools online across the state, sports act as an escape from being in front of screens all day. Participation in sports offers students the opportunity to connect with others in their community face-to-face.
Taking away sports would ultimately take away the opportunities of students dedicated to their craft and potentially remove an important season crucial for college recruitment. For students reliant on sports scholarships, they face extra burdens in their pursuit of higher education and a career in college.
Cancelling sports seasons would eliminate scouting opportunities for student-athletes during the height of their high school careers, especially for senior athletes. In the beginning of the recruitment process, officials usually use websites to check statistics and rankings. If competitions were not held, the lack of data would undoubtedly make their recruitment process more complicated.
The NCAA has decided to delay all of their in-person recruiting until early January in response to many schools pushing back their athletic seasons. The NCAA’s actions would only further complicate our return to sports seasons and high school athletics as we know it.
“For students reliant on sports scholarships, they face extra burdens in their pursuit of higher education and a career in college”
Without sports seasons and regular practice, Aragon athletes would suffer both mentally and physically, coupled up with the difficulties of online learning. Cancelling something so important to students is completely unnecessary, given the many options available to keep sports and conditioning safe amid the pandemic.
