Posted by Dexter Hein-Harrison
On September 21st, 2020, the American Rivers Conference (ARC) released a statement regarding winter athletics. Winter sports competitions are now postponed until at least January 1st, 2021 due to ongoing conflicts with COVID-19.
This Fall has been like none other with many athletics experiencing a very different feel as they have begun to start practice. Sports like Men’s & Women’s Cross Country, Womens Golf and Womens Tennis have already been practicing and even competing. The protocol they follow range from required masks, filling out daily forms to check their health and limited fans in attendance at competitions. Men’s Cross Country team member Coe Booker (‘20) comments on how the protocols have affected the team and its mentality, “I mean, we really just have to accept it, follow [protocol] and continue to find ways to be creative and come out of this a close team who can really make an impact in the conference”.
Clearly, even the limited hours and limited number of people allowed in the ARC has not stopped many teams or individuals from continuing to workout. The numbers or positive cases and those in quarantine have been reduced, meaning that many teams on campus are being allowed to continue practice, such as Football, Men’s & Women’s Soccer and Indoor Track & Field. All of these programs will also strictly follow the guidelines to hopefully have a season and compete against others in the conference.
While COVID-19 has been a roller coaster of emotions throughout the year, athletics at Coe are continuing to persevere to find new, creative and innovative ways to allow athletes to compete and practice their respective sports in a safe manner. It is truly exciting to see how these teams will use this as an opportunity to get better and continue to improve their programs.