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Sporting Masks

New Fall Sports Protocols

Daliya Wallenstein

You are running as fast as you can through the muggy, miserable Georgia heat. Sweat is dripping down your face. You breathe in deeply, trying to catch your breath, but your mouth fills with damp cloth instead of air. This is sports nowadays, according to AJA’s student athletes. True, the heat, sweat, and exhaustion has always been part of sports — but managing it all while wearing a mask has not.

Along with wearing masks, AJA athletes now arrive at sports practices greeted by temperature checks and safety questions to be recorded in a log. Students no longer use the gym, and during games the number and seating of fans is strictly regulated. Eventually, a livestream of games will eliminate the attendance of fans all together.  

Over the past few months, Athletic Director Rodney Zimmerman worked closely with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and other schools to coordinate new sports protocols to accommodate the safety threats COVID-19 poses. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Coach Zimmerman says GHSA’s plans have practically changed by the week as sources revealed new data and information. The intervention of national politics muddled the officials’ safety suggestions, which led to the publics’ conflicting beliefs in how to approach the pandemic. As a result, inter-school agreements on precautions for games crumbled apart. By late summer, schools stood divided on how to proceed with fall sports. Some schools opted to cancel fall sports altogether, while others chose to play indoors without masks. 

Coach Zimmerman made the decision to offer fall sports; however, maintaining students’ safety was the chief concern. For girls volleyball players, this meant their sport would look very different. Matches now occur on the grass outside and with only three to four girls on each side of the court — fundamental changes to the sport. In addition, since other Georgia schools hold matches indoors, sometimes without masks, this year AJA’s volleyball team will only compete in intramural competitions. 

Flag football faces fewer changes. The location and number of players can safely remain the same. In addition, flag football games are organized in “plays” — intervals of action with breaks in between. Therefore, Coach Zimmerman said, “They actually have times when they remove their masks, and then put them back on, but the coaches have worked with them on where that is, the spacing, where they can take the mask off, how long it can be back for, when they put it back on. It’s almost like a retraining on how to breathe.”

Beyond managing masks, flag football coach Justin Katz says coaching during a pandemic is relatively normal. The changes in protocol have not affected his philosophy and approach, he adds. The work ethic, leadership, and encouragement he expects from his athletes remains the same as it would under normal circumstances. Coach Katz explains that his athletes seem to appreciate the opportunity to play sports during this time and take on the new requirements without complaint. “They have been really good at following the rules, and it’s made things pretty seamless from a coaching standpoint,” he says. 

Doni Chasen, in mask, preparing to throw football

The flag football team expressed satisfaction with the new protocols. They admit that running around in masks can be pretty tough, but they are more than happy to pay this small price to continue playing. Running back Josh Asherian says, “Enforcing masks during practice is understandable because we want to keep everyone safe…  if we start having outbreaks we’ll have to shut [sports] down, and no one wants that.” He continues, “If us having to wear masks while practicing is something that we have to do, then I think we just should do it and enjoy the fact that we can play a sport during this time.” 

“Coach Zimmerman made the decision to offer fall sports; however, maintaining students’ safety was the chief concern.”

Coach Zimmerman expected students to have this level of appreciation. Playing sports in these circumstances brings more challenges than ever, but the benefits it provides are stronger than ever as well. Coach Zimmerman uses the metaphor of a box to describe the importance of sports for mental  health: Inside of a box is a static state of confusion, anxiety and stress. Sitting all day, alone, confines you in this box, he says. Movement, on the other hand, releases adrenaline and unlocks the box. 

Remote learning creates the ultimate opportunity for students to lock themselves in the box and throw away the key. Students can now sit alone, all day, in front of a screen, never moving, interacting, or engaging with others. Sports give students the opportunity to unlock the box by exercising and socializing. On the other hand, Coach Zimmerman says, “If you’re just sitting in front of the screen all day, you’re going to get burned out.”

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