COVID-19 has postponed all school sports to later this year, however, the district is working hard to get students play time this fall. If you are a student athlete, you may have heard that specific small groups of players would begin practicing in pods this week to make up for missed summer hours.

Many athletes are just looking for some type of action. Starting Quarterback, Trent Nobach said, “I am just hopeful to be out on the field with the team and coaches. I would love to have full practices but I just don’t think that’s reasonable for the circumstances we are in.” Nobach said they have had a plan for pod practices before things got shut down earlier.

These small pod practices were cancelled due to a spike in the number of positive cases in Snohomish County. The small pods have been scheduled to begin again this week, but with fewer sports due to the risk factor rating by the state. The WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) has set certain regulations to which sports can play, in contrast to the number of positive cases, per 100,00 people, per fourteen days.

 Athletes are hopeful that things will start up again soon, so here is what to expect. Mr. Roys, our athletic director has stated that all participating athletes will wear a mask to and from practice and will have their temperature taken every time. Pods will contain five athletes and a coach, and these will NOT be interchangeable.

 Practice times will be staggered to avoid mingling in the parking lot as well. The gym can hold three pods of five. The curtain will be down splitting the main gym, and the aux gym can have one pod. The field can hold five pods as long as social distancing is maintained.

Roys said, “This is voluntary for coaches as well as athletes.” Students and parents should feel no pressure to participate if these circumstances are uncomfortable for you or your family.

As for when these practices can begin, just this week, volleyball, tennis, and track have been cleared to start this week. Boys’ soccer will be added next week. They’ll follow the schedules created in October. 

We are not sure what to expect for our actual sports seasons. As of now the WIAA has broken up sports into four seasons. Sports are rated from low-risk to high-risk. Those that are lower risk may happen even if a higher risk sport (wrestling, for example) is not cleared to begin yet. Traditional winter sports are currently scheduled for season two, traditional fall sports for season three, and traditional spring sports for season four. Visit the WIAA for specific details and dates about your sport and keep in mind these dates are tentative. 

Our athletes just want to play at the end of the day, crowd or no crowd. Senior and varsity soccer player Jordan Bartlow said, “This has affected me a lot, having a senior season is something I’ve looked forward to since freshman year. It’s our last chance to represent our school and wear the jerseys.” In the meantime, we will keep you updated on what’s to come for Arlington High School athletics. Go Eagles!!