Wednesday, September 30, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
13
‘Spring’ sports active now
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
In the topsy-turvy world
of COVID-19, athletes at
all levels, including Sisters
High School, have been
faced with canceled, post-
poned, and shortened sea-
sons. Activity resumed in
mid-September for a few of
the traditional spring sports
under strict guidelines for a
five week <mini-season.=
According to SHS
Athletic Director Gary
Thorson, track and field, ten-
nis, boys lacrosse and girls
softball are taking advantage
of the opportunity to train
and, in some cases, compete.
The decision to imple-
ment mini-seasons prior to
the start of official OSAA-
sanctioned sports came at
the individual school district
level, according to Thorson.
Districts in the region are
working together to give stu-
dent athletes the opportunity
to get back into their sports
after the entire regular spring
season was canceled due to
COVID-19 in mid-March.
Thorson said, <Our dis-
trict has recognized the need
for our students to get safely
engaged again, and has set a
plan which is a healthy com-
promise on the engagement
spectrum.=
Track and field actu-
ally has three <mini-meets=
scheduled with local teams,
including one at home
September 30 against
Ridgeview, while softball
has played one game with
ten more planned through
October 10.
According to head track
coach Jeff Larson, the first
meet will feature all field
events other than triple jump,
along with running events in
the 4x100-meter relay, 1500
meters, 100 meters, high
hurdles and 200 meters.
<We thought it best to
start small and condense the
length of the meet a bit,= he
said.
Asked how the mini-
season plan was working
out, softball coach Neil
Fendall said, <For the kids
and coaches it9s going fan-
tastic. Having real human
interaction and experienc-
ing the group dynamic every
afternoon is the highlight of
my days and for the kids as
well.=
He continued, <It9s good
to see them appreciate the
face-to-face contact and the
value of that. This pandemic
appears to be teaching us all
how important human inter-
action really is. I am hearing
them say, 8I just want to go
back to school and see my
friends.9=
Regarding meeting health
protocols, Fendall explained,
<We have our masks ready
for when athletes are close
together and we have to
disinfect equipment after
each practice. At our game
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at Crook County fans were
spread out, including along
the outside fence. Fans enter-
ing the complex signed in at
a check-in table and people
seemed to be social distanc-
ing appropriately.=
Fendall, in his first year
as the coach, reported hav-
ing 12 girls playing this fall,
which Fendall believes will
provide a solid base when
the real spring season comes.
<I9m super pleased with
the group we have and they
are willing to work hard,
stay positive and try their
best,= he said.
Traditional fall sports
will start a mini-season in
October, followed by winter
sports in November.
OSAA-sanctioned sports
with condensed seven-week
seasons will begin December
28, with traditional winter
Year-round
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COVID-19 has turned a lot of things upside down — including school
sports. Athletes are now participating in a limited run of sports usually
played in the spring.
sports (basketball, swim-
ming, wrestling), followed
by traditional fall sports,
including cheerleading from
February 22 to late April
or early May, and conclud-
ing with spring sports April
19-mid to late June.
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