Return to Sports: What’s it Looking Like for Athletes?

By: Tyler Stark

Sports are officially back! After a brutal hiatus, 22 sports are officially practicing and are expected to play games for Redwood High School!

As athletes make their return to the field, they are doing what they’ve always done. They’ve been working incredibly hard, and trying to make sure that they are putting themselves in the best position to succeed. They are also being faced with their biggest challenge yet, a global pandemic.

Softball player, Morgan Bradford, ‘23 says that the biggest difference this year is “that we can’t touch equipment such as bases, and the tees and balls have to be sanitized after somebody uses them.” Bradford says that her team has basically eliminated huddling due to social distancing protocols.

While most athletes are just getting back into playing their sports, golfer, Lily Stetson, ‘21 finds herself in somewhat of a unique position. Due to the fact that golf is a sport that is pretty social distance friendly, Stetson says that the golf practices are pretty much the same. Stetson says “practices are pretty much normal, I think this golf season will be pretty much normal, with the exception of the masks.”

Stetson goes on to say that she expects golf to be the only semi-normal thing in her life this year.

This pandemic has forced every sport to pivot and do things differently than they are accustomed  to. Track and field athlete, B.J Wainwright, ‘24 says that the throwers have been separated into two groups, “All of the events have been separated. I can’t speak for other events, but for the throwers we have been split into an A and B group.” 

Wainwright goes on to say that his coaches do not have to sanitize everything because the throwers have their own implements.

While there is already a schedule for the track season and it seems as though they will have their meets, we are living in uncertain times and you never know what will happen. However, Wainwright is incredibly confident that the season will happen, “I am not concerned about us being unable to compete this year. With the increasing number of vaccinations and the large infection increase required for our season to be cancelled or postponed I am sure we will play.”

At the beginning of the year when the pandemic was extremely bad and few people really knew what to make of it, athletes were definitely more pessimistic about the return of sports. It is really great to see our student-athletes practicing and for the most part feeling confident that their sport will play games.

Wednesday was a big day at Redwood as the boys’ soccer team had their first scrimmage of the season. The Rangers beat Roosevelt 4-1. Jacob Perch, ‘23 says that everyone on the team is just excited to be back on the field, “It felt great to be playing at the bowl again after a year deprived of soccer.”

Perch says that at the beginning of the year he did not have a great deal of confidence that they’d play games, but he’s incredibly grateful that they are.

It really is incredible to see sports back at Redwood. Sports are a monumental aspect of Redwood High School and it’s phenomenal to have them back! 

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