By: Chloe English (Reporter ‘24)
Governor Wolf's no-sports-allowed mandate ended on January 4th, allowing many after-school sporting clubs to open up again with numerous safety precautions. Most teams appear to have started practice again with the standard “wear masks and stay six feet apart” rule. Sofia Moran (‘23) and Cooper Johnson (‘23) both say that their swim team is making sure that swimmers stay six feet apart at all times and wear masks until entering the water, as well as keeping practices to a limited number of people. Keeping practices small has been a common trend among teams. Norah Thorne (‘24) says her ballet classes are kept to a maximum of ten masked participants per session. During the time that Daniel Saligman (‘22) practices pole vaulting, there’s also a limited number of masked people permitted in the warehouse.
While many people feel safe going back to their various sports, there are some people who aren’t comfortable with returning to practice (which is perfectly okay). Most issues arise from the fact that the sport is practiced indoors where the air is unable to circulate as well as it does outside. Leah Anderson (‘21) stated that this is how her hockey team is handling things: “Indoor practices with everyone masked in a large indoor floor hockey rink. I am not going to these practices anymore.” With a sport like hockey, it’s clear how difficult it is to start practicing again in a safe environment. Hallie Bender (‘21) also explained that she does not feel comfortable going back to gymnastics. It is easy to see why people could feel unsafe returning to practices, and it’s important to be aware of why that may be. COVID-19 cases are on the rise, so if you’re at a sports practice, please wear your mask and stay safe.
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