Local High School Sports Open For 2021 Spring Season
After a long year, high school districts near the college are starting sports seasons, which gives hope to Green River College (GRC) athletes for the 2021-2022 season.
Since sports have been on hold, this has given school administrators, athletic directors and coaches the chance to organize COVID-safe practices and games.
The Kent School District’s first season has started with football, cross country, soccer, volleyball, cheer and dance. Each sport has its own challenges with finding creative ways to effectively and safely participate in sports.
“We spread out on the sidelines, we don’t huddle, we keep our varsity and JV groups separate at all times, and we try to focus on drills that don’t keep us in close contact for long,” said Kevin Hurt, Head football coach at Kentlake High School.
These precautions also include mandatory masks and wiping down footballs and pads every ten minutes. The Kent School District is not the only district in the state allowing high contact sports, which proves not only athletes are ready to get back to competing but there has been a way to try and keep everyone involved safe.
Green River College has three sports teams competing this year: cross country, baseball, and track. All are deemed low-risk sports. The next question is will GRC use surrounding high school districts COVID precautions in order to return to higher risk sports like volleyball, basketball, or soccer?
“The NWAC (Northwest Athletic Conference) is exploring testing options that include schools in the NWAC administering their own tests, having our athletes go to local testing clinics that are free and partnering with a testing company to receive a reduced rate,” said Shannon Percell, the athletic director at Green River, “[the conference] is trying to decide if it will require testing for the 21-22 season. There currently are not any testing requirements from the NWAC.”
While outdoor sports have advantages in safety, indoor sports such as basketball or racquetball include increased risks and may rely more on vaccinations and testing.
“Indoor sports will have a tougher time getting started because of how the virus can spread through HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems…but I’m still optimistic that enough people will be vaccinated and the COVID numbers will be such that those athletes get the opportunity to compete this year,” Hurt said.
There are many measures that need to be taken in order for Green River athletes to play again, but there are a vast majority of resources. Many schools in Washington state like Kentlake High School have shown great examples to how, if athletes take the right precautions, they are able to represent their school and sport, whether it is high or low risk.
