What’s up with winter sports?

How will Winter sports get through the season while battling COVID-19 complications?

By Jack Toal

As fall sports are wrapping up, tryouts and practices are beginning for the winter. With high contact, the continuation of winter athletics may be up in the air.

Regulations

According to Kelli Kurle, the Associate Principal and Athletic director at BVN, winter sports are going through the district’s regulations to prevent COVID-19 as best they can so sports can keep the green light.

Activities and athletics began in-person competitions beginning the week of Dec. 7.

“As of right now [winter sports] are a go. KSHSAA [had] a proposal to delay sports until Jan. 15 where only practices would be allowed to be held until Jan. 15, where games [would] resume,” Kurle said.

Proposals from KSHSAA changed rapidly during November and December. According to KSHSAA, as of Dec. 9, up to two parents/guardians per student will be allowed at interscholastic activities starting Dec. 11, to minimize the risk of exposure while still providing opportunities for students and spectators.

The Blue Valley district has partnered with the NFHS network to livestream events. Mandatory universal masking will be enforced, with the exception of athletes during the time they are competing and officials during live action. When the presence of a mask poses a risk to the student athlete’s safety, during activities of physical exertion, the mask may be removed.

“We are washing equipment, using Tersano spray for balls, wrestlers are using special masks, masks for basketball players during practice, no out-of-town tournaments, only doing six team wrestling tournaments as well as smaller swim practices and meets,” Kurle said. “There’s a proposal to remove fans, but right now there can be two fans per player for each sport.”

Restrictions are being placed on the reliance of science and studies that are coming out. Kurle is working with the District Board’s nurse and the Johnson County Health Department to administer quarantines and execute decisions on the path for sports.

Basketball

Girls and Boys Basketball is already preparing for their season with tryouts occurring Nov. 16. Senior Andrew Orr, who was on the varsity team last year, was intent on playing this season despite the issues with the coronavirus pandemic, citing that he played over the summer and was expecting a similar type of game play.

“During my games we would have to get screened every time we entered and left the building, but now the boys and girls [teams] have to wear masks during conditioning and practice,” Orr said. “We also were not allowed to go inside, and we always had to wear masks during our workout.”

Orr believes there is a likely chance that winter basketball season will be canceled.

“I think it’ll go well for the first couple of weeks, but I think as soon as there’s one case, it’ll go downhill pretty fast from there,” Orr said.

Junior Mary Crossland, varsity, believed the girls basketball team will perform well this year as far as the season goes, but also said she expected winter sports to be shut down with one or two positive tests of COVID-19.

“It’ll make me a little sad because I won’t be able to hear my friends cheering, but as long as we get to play, I’ll be happy.” Crossland said.

Orr, however, thought that this limitation wouldn’t affect the players.

“It’ll be like AAU and club basketball, which is like playing for your own respective teams in tournaments, so it won’t be too different,” Orr said.

Last year the boys team was fairly successful making it to the Semi-Finals before the season was canceled.

“Last year we went 20-3 and were about to play Hayesville Campus in the semis. If we won that we were probably going to play Blue Valley Northwest in the Finals,” Orr said. “I think we can win a state chip this year — we have a majority of our starting line-up returning.”

Crossland also thinks the team will do well this year since only five seniors graduated last year, meaning they will likely already be familiar with the members on the team.

“Making it to the sub-state game and winning this time ... would be our goal for this year,” she said. “We are looking to win sub-state this year since we lost in the substate game last year.”

Swim and Dive

Swim and Dive began their season Nov. 16 among the other sports. Since water nullifies masks, they have a different design for practices. Junior Spencer Eyen, who was on the Varsity dive team last year, went into some of the difficulties swimmers have to face versus divers.

“Masks are on anytime we can, but during swim we divide out lane lines and socially distance. If someone is to get COVID-19 in one of those groups, that line would be quarantined,” Eyen said. “As a diver, it’s less of an issue for me because I’m only around people in line, but now they have marked lines so we can stand far away from each other.”

Eyen also said there is a likely chance for Swim to get canceled, but he thinks those dedicated to their sports will do everything they can outside of their sport to avoid COVID-19. They are also putting in counter measures, similar to football, especially with fans, such as only household members being allowed to attend and required masks at the meet.

According to Eyen, the bleachers this year will look far different from normal — mainly, the crowds filling them, or lack thereof. He said only parents will be able to attend due to COVID-19 regulations to try to cut down on the chance of being exposed, and those in the pool area will be required to wear masks at all times, similar to football.

“If people remain safe and careful I think we could have sports,” Eyen said. According to Eyen, he intends to still make the most of the year and what comes of it. He and the rest of the swim team aim to win state this year since they fell short last year.

“For the last two years at state we’ve gotten close to first, and I know there are a lot of people who think we can make a run, so that is the goal this year,” Eyen said.

Wrestling

The wrestling season is set to start with the rest of the winter athletics, but junior Ty Farrington, who made state last year, is sure that this season will end up working out. Farrington also plays football, and since they made it through their season, he believes they will have some sort of season for Wrestling.

“I think one way or another we will have some sort of season especially after football,” Farrington said.

Wrestling is taking on a similar layout to swim since they practice in groups of three with masks on.

“We have to wear ski masks in practice, and we are only in groups of three at a time, and it’s going to stay like that the whole season,” Farrington said.

The “ski masks” more specifically are gator masks with headgear on top to keep the mask in place.

Farrington also thinks that the circumstances of this year may affect the amount of people that join wrestling because of respiratory issues, high-risk family members or other common situations that may put one at risk.

“I think it is a possibility that less people will come out,” Farrington said. “For some people it’ll be harder to breathe with masks, and I realize many people may have high-risk people around them that they are in contact with.”

Farrington still thinks that they should focus on their goals while the sport is around. With the chance of COVID-19 limiting the season, Farrington still set his goals with the idea of being able to make it through the season.

“I want to make state again and place on the podium this year either by myself or with the team depending on how we do,” Farrington said. “We’re looking to get as many people as we can to get to state and get ranked as a team at state as long as the sport is around.”

With the large obstacle of COVID-19 around, there is no way to predict how winter sports may go.

“The masks are made to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so there’s really no reason not to wear them around others,” Eyen said.

Many players are relying on the safety of others to continue their sport and reminding others to wear their mask to make it through the season.

Will winter sports get canceled?

70% Yes 30% No

Survey results from a poll taken on the @BVNNews Instagram