Grateful to finally have them come back
Return to sports is a welcome sight for area student-athletes
High school sports will be played across the state Thursday for the first time since March 10, whenthe coronavirus pandemic shut down the end of the winter high school sports season, including the boys and girls state basketball tournament.
Club youth sports have played throughout the summerasthestate’s virus numbersimprovedandrestrictions were gradually lifted, but officials wanted to get schools up and running before sports were introduced fully into the mix.
Boys and girls soccer, field hockey andgirls volleyball games, girls swim meets and boys and girls cross country meets will compete in a shortened regionalized season. Football is the only sport sidelined due to its high risk factor, but the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference announced Tuesday that the football season would be moved to the late winter/early spring between the winter and spring sports season if COVIDnumbersremainlowinthe state.
Full-contact practices have been taking place since Sept. 21. Before that, the athletes were allowed to participate in conditioning and skillwork practices in groups of 10.
“I think the kids are ready to play,” Glastonbury field hockey coach Maureen Perkins said. “They’re all done with the practicing stuff.”
Glastonbury opens its season at home against Northwest Catholic under the lights at 7 p.m. Like many teams, Glastonbury is having its Senior Night, when its senior players are honored, before its first game, just in case games are shut down or stopped due to a coronavirus outbreak.
There will be newrules andprotocols in place to stem virus spread. Many schools are allowing only two parents or spectators at homegames and none at away games. Others are banning spectators from all gamesor indoor sports such as swimmingand volleyball. Some schools will have their events livestreamed.
Players and coaches on the sidelines will be masked and socially distant, as will officials. Volleyball players are the only athletes who must wear masks all of the time, even while playing.
In swimming, some schools will be competing in virtual meets, where the two teams will compete against each other in their separate home pools.
Theregular season in all sports is scheduled to run through Nov. 7, should the virus numbers remain low in Connecticut and school remain open in the hybrid model. The CIAC has said a yet-to-be-determined “tournament experience” will take place from Nov. 8-21, again if numbers remain low.
“At this point, it’s about giving these kids an experience as opposed to the competition,” Bloomfield athletic director Tammy Schondelmayer said. “It’s not about, ‘Are you the best team in the state?’ It comes down to, ‘Are we giving these kids an opportunity to play and do something they wouldhavelost otherwise?’ ”
Lori Riley can be reached at lriley@courant.com.