2021: COVID-19 and Mask Wearing in Sports
By Sydney Ferst, Sports Editor
For some people high school sports in 2021 are vastly different than they were in 2020, but for some athletes things still look the same. Low-risk sports like soccer, field hockey, cross country and more have been able to return to an almost normal season, while indoor sports like volleyball and swimming still haven't been able to put their masks down.
In August, before fall sports began, the New York State Education Department provided a list of guidelines for athletes and coaches to follow. Most outdoor sports were able to play the 2021 season without wearing a mask. This guideline was very different from the rules in 2020 where athletes had to wear a mask at all times: during practices, games and on the bus traveling to and from games. The only continuity is the continued use of wearing a mask on the bus to away games.
“Without wearing a mask it's one less thing I have to worry about on the field,” said junior Michelle Robinson, member of the Girls Varsity Soccer Team. “I don't have to worry about not being able to breathe or it falling down; I can just focus on the game.”
This seems to be a common reaction among most high school athletes, their focuses drawn away from the pandemic and back onto their sport. Not only are athletes enjoying the benefits of easing restrictions on the field, but they are relishing them off the field too.
“We were allowed to do more team bonding activities: our annual hike, going out to dinner,” said Robinson. “And we were finally allowed to have fans watch us.”
Unfortunately, unlike their outdoor sports counterparts, indoor sports haven't really been able to experience a full gym of screaming fans.
Clarkstown North Girls Varsity Soccer 2021
playing without a mask
Image Courtesy of chsngirlssoccer on Instagram
Clarkstown North Girls Varsity Volleyball 2020
Playing with a mask
Image Courtesy of Shannon Choi
Although Girls Varsity Volleyball player Shannon Choi knows “the mask mandate for indoor sports was put in place to protect the health and safety of everyone involved,” she was still upset when she found out that the 2021 season wouldn't be back to normal yet.
“This season we had no team outings. Freshman year we were able to have dinner with both the Varsity and JV team, but this year because of COVID-19 we were not able to do that,” said Choi.
Although both fall outdoor and indoor sports might not be completely back to normal, a common theme among both of them is hope. Both Robinson and Choi said that they hope next year's season will be back to normal, how it was pre-COVID. This is a hope that will not falter as they both want to make the most of their senior year next season.