By Theo Klinger, Staff Writer
Everyone wants their life to return to normal, but for athletes it is most likely even more pressing for this pandemic to subside. Sports tend to be an escape for some students, although they have more time to focus on more things with this break, it does not mean they want so long of a break from their sport. Some students rely on their sport, whether it’s for a scholarship reason, or a stress relieving reason.
As much as we can all feel for athletes at this time, forcing the seasons to start up is not the way to go. The athletic department took a risk last semester with sports continuing during a pandemic, and they ended up with a whole team contracting the virus. I remember being in the training room with a friend for an interview, and all the staff were a bit on edge after hearing the news.
Suddenly a whole floor of a dorm building had been on lockdown, and the spread throughout campus began. The campus staff tried their best to contain the spread of the virus in order to continue playing sports, but eventually they had to decide to shut them down all together. For this semester, I am a bit worried about the idea of starting up sports this spring after what happened last semester.
The campus decided that baseball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball will be able to compete this spring. Teams are advised to wear masks while competing in small competitions. For the rest of the sports that are not allowed to compete, they are still given practice opportunities with the hope of competing near the end of the semester. This includes football and men’s and women’s basketball; which are considered high-risk sports during the pandemic, along with men and women’s swimming.
The seniors involved in these sports are probably feeling worse than the rest of us with the limited time they have with their teams. I empathize with these athletes and I hope they get the real chance to compete the way they would like to before they graduate. As long as the student body follows COVID-19 guidelines things will get better.
