After an unexpected completely virtual start to the 2020-2021 school year that caused delays in school athletics, Watauga sports are moving forward in full swing at the beginning of the second semester. Students are getting back into practices, games and meets. The more familiar aspects of their sports are merging with new reforms intended to protect the health of all persons involved. While several sports are nearing the end of the season, some are settling into a rhythm and others are just getting started. Read on for brief updates on several delayed fall sports and winter sports updates.
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball, normally one of the earliest sports to begin their season, recently completed the last of its games this month. Tryouts were held in November, the first game being held in the same month. The volleyball season ended Jan. 14, as the team competed in the playoffs.
“Our season was cut down by at least 10 games. We were limited to playing our conference plus two games,” said head coach Kim Pryor. “Because of Covid related issues involving other teams, we were not able to play 3 of our games this season.”
Precautions taken to avoid the spread of COVID-19 among student athletes, coaches and their families include wearing masks during practice and competition, sanitizing equipment regularly, maintaining social distancing guidelines as much as possible, and checking temperatures and evaluating participants’ possible exposure before practices (with the questionnaire used when students enter the school).
At games, the number of allowed fans was lowered to 25, and no spectators were allowed to view away games in person. As with other sports, technology compensated for the reduction of viewers, as a livestream was utilized to record all games.
Despite unfortunate alterations in the season’s length, practices and games, Pryor said, “We had an incredible run this season. We continued our streak of remaining undefeated in our conference and winning the conference championship for the 8th straight year.”
The team’s final losses came in closely competitive matches that used the full range of five sets allowed in volleyball to determine a winner.
Pryor concluded, “I’m proud of how our young team competed day in and day out and I’m especially thankful for the opportunity.”
CROSS COUNTRY
The Cross Country team’s season stretches from early November to January 23 this year. The team went to the 3A Western Regional Championship Jan. 16, where the boys and girls teams ran a 5k and took home wins. On Jan. 23 the team traveled to Kernersville to run in the state competition.
The cross country season, like nearly all other sports, was shortened this year. However, the team was still able to practice through the summer and fall and compete in full-team meets and championships.
Head coach Randall McDonough said, “Most of the team finished up with their season on December 22. After that, we had to cut down to 7 girls and 7 boys for the championship season. This included the conference championships, regional championships and state championships.”
Cross Country adapted their program by using “pods” to organize student athletes into smaller groups in which social distancing and contact tracing can be better managed. Temperatures were taken before practices along with the health questionnaire. The outdoor setting of cross country practices and meets helped in distancing runners.
“All the runners have to wear masks in all parts of practice except when they are running. Then they just need to keep their distance,” McDonough said. Regarding the new procedures, McDonough described, “As far as spectators, we were limited to 100 per meet. The Athletic Director had to wait at the gate to the course and count and take temperatures.”
Both cross country teams saw success this season, as they won the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference Championship and the regional competition on Jan. 16 junior Sidra Miller and senior Rien Freeman won the Conference Championship as individuals, and Miller also won the individual Regional Championship. At the State Championship, the women’s team was ranked fifth and the men’s team was ranked seventh.
MEN’S and WOMEN’S SWIMMING
Another sport that recently wrapped a shortened season is swimming. The swim season began Dec. 6, later than usual, and finished at the end of January. In a typical year, swimmers compete from October to February.
While swimming has the advantage of not being a close contact sport, regulations were still put in place when student athletes were competing. New health measures included wearing masks at all times when outside the swimming pool, social distancing as much as possible in and out of the pool and maintaining a limited capacity of swimmers and coaches during practices. Meets included new restrictions as well, though unlike other indoor sports at which a certain number of fans were allowed to attend, no supporters were able to attend the swim meets.
Senior Josephine Herring said, “Meets were affected the most because we were not allowed to have spectators, which was really sad because a lot of parents didn’t get to see their children swim in their last meet, including mine.”
However, just being able to compete in their sport at all seemed to make a difference for many student athletes this year. While the health regulations put in place for each sport undoubtedly helped to limit the possible spread of COVID-19, all parties involved in athletics were well aware of the risk of engaging in sports during this time.
“I think with the right precautions it was worth the risk,” Herring said. “Our coaches and teammates really did their best to help us have a good season and also stay healthy and safe. For me personally, I’m glad I took the risk because I’ve been swimming for 12 years and this was my last season swimming competitively. I’m glad I got to participate and compete a few more times, even if the season was totally different this year.”
PACERS
Despite restrictions on fans in many games, the Pacers have fortunately also been able to participate in their sport. Currently, the Pacers are performing at women’s and men’s varsity basketball games, and they will dance in football games as well.
The energy and spirit the Pacers bring to other athletic games has not changed, as they still support other athletes by watching the games and their performances are skillful—both in the way that the performers are technically proficient and in the fact that social distancing is maintained. The Pacers wear masks and stay socially distanced throughout games and as much as possible during performances. The cheer team is operating in much the same manner.
Coach Laura Carson remarked that challenges were not nonexistent, especially in regards to the delay the Pacers had to face while waiting to try out for the team. Carson said, “Normally tryouts would have taken place at the end of last year. We held off to see if we would be able to dance and also to have in-person tryouts. We stayed in the cohort groups for tryouts, so the entire team did not get together until January. Fortunately for me, the officers and team are dedicated and make my job easy!”
Not being able to meet together until 2021 did not necessarily make the sport more difficult for the dancers on the Pacers team, but it did make socialization more difficult.
“I think the only negative effect of the delay is having our seasons shortened and not being able to be together as much. The time has not affected the dance level of the team at all. The girls have just missed the social aspect of being together,” said Carson.
Decreased social opportunity is certainly an aspect of high school life that all students have experienced in the past year. For many student athletes, the connections, challenges and general culture of the sports community is a crucial part of their high school experience.
Carson said, “I think athletic opportunities are a very important part for students. It gives them the opportunity to meet different people that share similar interests and likes. It allows them to be a part of a team and help them improve their skills. It helps some students with setting priorities and organization.”
MEN’S and WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Also nearing the homestretch of their seasons are the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The basketball season, which was delayed this year, began Dec. 7 and will run through mid-February, then playoffs will follow for several more weeks.
Like other sports, not only was the basketball schedule shifted, but it was also shortened. Head coach Laura Barry said of the altered schedule for the 2020-2021 year, “14 games over about 10 weeks is very short compared to a normal year.”
Fortunately, student athletes on the teams have still been able to participate in their sport with a sense of normalcy and familiarity amidst new changes. The basketball teams wear masks during practices and games, and social distancing guidelines are maintained as much as possible.
Barry said, “We keep our distance when we can at practice (like standing in line or listening in a huddle), but we play normal basketball with contact. We do not let our teams interact as much as we normally would, like between jv and varsity and between girls and boys.”
Spectators are allowed at home games, though the ratio of student athletes to supporters is kept to a minimum to prevent overwhelmed capacity—one supporter to every player. Like volleyball, visitors at away games are prohibited.
Student athletes in basketball are still meeting success in their games despite new restrictions and an altered schedule, including senior Bennett Ricker, who has so far averaged around 16 points each game. In addition, seniors on sports teams have been able to pursue athletic plans after high school in a year that has already presented changes in the ritualistic events of post-secondary searches and decision making. From the women’s basketball team, senior Chelsi Hodges has signed on to play basketball at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia.
Due to restrictions put in place to protect athletes, coaches and other personnel, all sports games and meets can be streamed through the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Network. If you subscribe to the network, you will be able to watch Watauga’s games throughout the year. Visit this website for more information: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com.
Written by: Bethany Hicks
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