Since mid-March, every student athlete, parent, and spectator in North Carolina has had to wait.
Up until a few weeks ago when I announced both the ACC Men’s & Women’s Soccer Championshipin Cary, I had not announced a game since the East Chapel Hill – Cedar Ridge basketball games on February 10.
In that time frame and within my work in prisons, I aspire to avoid COVID-19 on a daily basis. I’m scanned, questioned, masked, searched, gloved, and in the process, overworked due to short staffing. My fiancée Sarah worked in a nearby emergency room and now to a surgical center, but has endured the same. Together, we’ve been trying to plan a wedding. To watch every plan get ripped and reformulated thanks to the powers that be limiting us and our guests, it has absolutely destroyed us.But the wedding is still on and come December 12, 2020 – we will be man and wife (God Willing).
Because of the ever-changing politics of a virus that NO ONE (medical or political) has been able to figure out, we still live in a complete state of chaos in navigating the slough known as Coronavirus.While prevention might be worth a pound of cure, all of this prevention has prevented a return to normalcy, even in the form of high school athletics.
I am probably going to get excoriated for saying all of this, but I don’t care.
It boils down to this. Let the kids play. To those who want to watch them play, let them come. And for all in attendance, let them have a good time.
Currently, Orange and Cedar Ridge are only allowing players, coaches, media, and officials to be present at sporting events. In essence, the only “fans” at volleyball would be the junior varsity or varsity teams not playing. As Cedar Ridge’s PA announcer, I have been forbidden to come to just play music. No announcing, no national anthem, no house music, NOTHING.
At other places, it’s different. When Cedar Ridge defeated Chapel Hill at Smith Middle School, our Hillsboroughsports.com leader Jeff Hamlin, was removed and escorted from the building. The press pass that he assumed he was to be given, was instead, given to HighSchoolOT freelancers. PerChapel Hill’s AD, Jeff was literally put out into the cold.
I’ve been informed that it could be as soon as January for basketball season before any spectators are allowed to return to high school sporting events in Hillsborough. However, with all scientific data reporting negative trends, that likelihood seems unlikely. In reality, the concept of spectators at a Hillsborough high school sporting event might be a kick-the-can situation. Once the situation comes to the forefront, it’s punted down the road in hopes it improves with time.
The funny thing is with this virus is that no one knows for certain if they have it unless they are tested. Some have active symptoms, many are asymptomatic carriers. Some could be battling seasonal allergies that mirror COVID symptoms or many just don’t have it.
In simplest terms –
If you are running a temperature of more than 99 degrees, STAY HOME.
If you are sick or are displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, STAY HOME.
If you are awaiting the results of a COVID test (regardless of symptom status), STAY HOME.
If you are none of the above, you should be allowed to play in the games or watch the games.
Imagine that you are a senior at Cedar Ridge or Orange and throughout the offseason, the idea of playing in your senior campaign was an absolute uncertainty. Even if you did get to play, would there be people to play for? Would you have a senior night to where your career would be celebrated by family and friends? As of right now, it appears that both are highly doubtful.
When I played scholastic sports, nothing brought me satisfaction knowing that my parents were in attendance from the stands. But as of now in Hillsborough, parents are disallowed to watch their children play in person. It’s a shame to be a parent and spend scores of dollars in the funding ofcamps, clinics, equipment, and other items – all to be told that you can’t watch your kids play or should live stream their games from home. If you are a parent and are abiding by the aforementioned rules, you should be allowed to come and watch.
If you’ve been watching any NCAA sporting events, you’ll see a smattering of people watching from the stands. They are families with a sprinkling of select season-ticket holders chosen from the schools’ respective ticket lotteries. All entering fans are screened with temperature checks, spread out to ensure social distancing, and must wear face coverings at all times. Players are also spreadout on the benches for social distancing. Each player is assigned their own towels and water bottle to prevent viral transmission.
If it works for the collegians, I’m quite certain it will work for high school teams and their respective athletic departments.
In addition, I can’t imagine how much the athletic departments are even in good financial shape. As reported on December 2nd by HighSchoolOT, the Wake County School Board unanimously approved to allocate $835,000 to help fund high school and middle school athletics. The same report also mentioned that families would be permitted to attend.
Imagine the small school districts that might have a singular high school. There’s no telling how much funds has depleted from their accounts as a result of not allowing any fans to attend. Then again, these same districts don’t have the funding capability as Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, or any other highly populated school district. I’m not going to speculate for Orange County, but when funds are non-existent and debts, equipment, and officials must be paid – with insufficient funds – all parties (regardless of location) are in a potential state of want.
In closing, we all want to return to a place in a pre-COVID time, whatever that may be. But to deny student-athletes the ability to play and their parents (or fans) to watch is unfathomable. While we are all doing our part to mitigate this virus, there must be some exceptions for student-athletes to play, families to watch, and for all to enjoy one of the many returns to normalcy in high school athletics.