New Dates for Sports
Alexis Moakhamphiou '21 Staff Writer
Since sports were canceled due to COVID-19, athletes were worried about their safety and how to prevent COVID-19 from spreading. Kyle Colbert, a senior at Howard High School, plays football and basketball. Colbert is another athlete who has to manage the overlapping seasons, saying, “With the overlapping seasons I plan on working on both sports in the free time that I have during the season that interferes. But also still work out and get better for both sports.” Athletes were devastated by the cancellation of sports due to COVID-19 and desperate to know when they could play again. Recent news about the comeback of sports and their seasons during the second semester leaves athletes, coaches and fans excited but also confused and worried.
On September 11, 2020, the new dates for sports were announced: The winter season will be from February 1 to March 27, the fall season will be from March 15 to May 8 and the spring season will be from April 26 to June 19. However, on September 24, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan announced that sports can begin as soon as October 7. Howard County decided not to participate in this plan, but on October 2, 2020, the Public School Superintendent’s Association of Maryland (PSSAM) issued a plan to the State Superintendent, Dr. Salmon. This new plan suggests that sports begin on December 7. Howard County has not released any information allowing sports to start again in December, so as of right now, the original second-semester plan is in play. Based on the unknown of the prior October plan, Ms. Beth DeFrances, the Howard High athletics and activities manager, believed the new October date was surprising since the county agreed to start sports during the second semester. She states, “I think [Governor Hogan] has the idea that he wants to help kids and that’s ultimately what we all want to do. I think it’s difficult to make things happen sooner rather than later.” Ms. DeFrances thinks the second-semester plan would work better for Howard, aligning with the online coursework. Then, the county would be able to evaluate the second semester to see if schools were ready for sports. Sports are scheduled to come back on February 1, 2021, with overlapping seasons. This will give athletes a chance to be active again and pursue the sports they missed. However, the overlapping seasons can cause stress on multi-sport athletes and coaches. It will also cause athletes and coaches to miss part of certain seasons depending on their dates. Kaitlyn Denicola, a junior at Howard High School, plays soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She also plays lacrosse outside of school, which may possibly interfere with her sports at Howard. Due to her busy schedule, she states, “I’m going to have to set my priorities on certain sports and probably will not be able to play all three sports at Howard.” This is a stressful time for athletes as they have to juggle sports and school. Denicola also mentioned that she is stressed out since the details on sports are “all up in the air and we don’t know exactly what is going to happen.” |
The resumption of sports may cause multisport athletes to make some tough decisions, as Howard County’s winter and fall sports seasons overlap by 13 days, and fall and spring sports seasons overlap by 13 days during the second semester.
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He is excited to get back on the court and field, but he is also concerned about his safety. When asked how to make him feel safe while still being able to play, he stated, “I think some sort of mask for football will help me feel safe since it is a high contact sport.”
Even though this is a difficult time for everyone involved in sports, athletes and Ms. DeFrances share their excitement for the big comeback. Alex Marshall, a senior at Howard High School, plays football and baseball. He stated, “I’m just looking forward to the season in general. It’s my senior year so this is supposed to be my best season and I’m going to have a lot of fun and I’m excited for that.” Ms. DeFrances also shares, “I’m looking forward to seeing people in person, not just through a screen. I love watching sports and I love seeing how kids enjoy being a part of a team and representing our school. That is really the best part of my job.”
Even though this is a difficult time for everyone involved in sports, athletes and Ms. DeFrances share their excitement for the big comeback. Alex Marshall, a senior at Howard High School, plays football and baseball. He stated, “I’m just looking forward to the season in general. It’s my senior year so this is supposed to be my best season and I’m going to have a lot of fun and I’m excited for that.” Ms. DeFrances also shares, “I’m looking forward to seeing people in person, not just through a screen. I love watching sports and I love seeing how kids enjoy being a part of a team and representing our school. That is really the best part of my job.”