High School sports were cut short at the end of the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many to question if Seminole High School (SHS) athletes were going to be able to play sports at the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Both students and administrators are questioning how safe this is to have athletes out on the field and what precautions need to be taken to ensure the safety of athletes. Many fans are wondering if athletes will be required to wear masks while on the field or if gloves will be mandatory for sports like football where all the players touch the same ball. 

In anticipation of their October season, one sport that has already started conditioning at SHS is football.  Currently, it is unknown if players will be wearing masks or any personal protective equipment this season. So far, there have been no known cases of the coronavirus from these athletes so their hopes are high to play on the field this school year. 

The main concern with having athletes go back to playing sports is that they will have increased exposure to COVID. They believe that when the athletes are out on the field playing they could contract COVID and spread it to their peers. Many people are also wondering how masks will be incorporated into social distancing protocols in outdoor sports. 

Health Academy Sophomore, Rayna Haque is not so concerned with resuming High School sports during the heat of the pandemic and said, “Depending on the person they know what is best for their needs, they should take precautions and find ways to possibly play in smaller groups.”

These athletes are doing anything they can to get back out on the field and are staying optimistic in hopes to make the best out of the current situation while still incorporating safe ways to support the basic Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Other fans are curious about how long it will be until sports teams become carriers for COVID. This raises big concerns for many students because they work hard on their sporting performance. 

SHS golf player and International Baccalaureate (IB) Sophomore, Mikayla Mahabir, states, “We want to go out and play, golf tryouts are coming up and the fall season is starting soon, with these uncertain times we aren’t sure how long the season will last.”

With the sports season starting to resume it is good for the athletes and fans to take COVID precautions by understanding the CDC guidelines, wearing a mask, and social distancing. If these precautions are not taken seriously there is a chance that the rest of the season will be put to a halt to ensure the safety of SHS athletes.

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