Concord High School’s winter athletic teams held their first practices of the season of Monday. One day later, all winter sports activities were halted.
“I am putting the winter athletic program on pause until January 4, at which time the program status will be re-evaluated,” interim Superintendent Kathleen Murphy said in an email to district families and staff on Tuesday. The decision was made due to increased community transmission of COVID-19, including new cases in district schools.
Concord High Principal Mike Reardon and Athletic Director Steve Mello asked for families to be patient and understanding.
“CHS has experienced some positive COVID cases over the last two days, some of which are associated with athletic teams,” Reardon and Mello said in a message to parents of the school’s student-athletes. “We remain committed to having our winter sports and co-curricular programs, but right now we need to pause for everyone’s well-being.”
Other area high schools like Bow and Hopkinton also started winter athletic practices on Monday and plan to forge ahead. Monday was the date recommended to begin practices by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association back in October. John Stark High School in Weare had already decided to delay the start of its winter season practices until Jan. 4. The NHIAA’s first scheduled day to compete is Jan. 11.
“We are currently in full remote learning, so we are not allowed to participate in any athletic activities when in remote,” Stark Athletic Director Mark Searles said.
Most Concord students are also in remote learning, but the district’s school board voted to allow in-person winter sports by an 8-1 margin at a Nov. 23 meeting.
Even with the built-in delay at Stark, Searles knows winter sports, many of which are held indoors, comes with more risks than the relatively successful fall sports season, which is mostly held outside.
“Our biggest change from the fall is wearing masks at all times. We felt it is the best way we could try to keep our athletes and coaches safe while participating inside and in close contact with others,” Searles said. “While I am hopeful we can make it through the winter season, it will be a challenge with the increased number of cases the past few weeks and the anticipation that numbers will remain high for the next several weeks. We can only hope to keep everyone involved in the athletic program at John Stark healthy and safe while providing an opportunity to participate this winter.”
Bow High Athletic Director Mike Desilets expressed similar thoughts about the winter season.
“The biggest challenges in terms of winter would probably be requiring a mask during participation and the many off campus venues that we use for hockey, skiing, and swimming,” Desilets said. “We did a decent job of wearing masks when asked to in the fall, but I suspect that will be a bigger challenge when we are inside and it is required.”
Everyone has been doing a great job so far, he said.
“Coaches are using electronic whistles and student athletes are masked up, with a few mask breaks built in,” Desilets said. “Communication will be key as we head to other schools and especially to other public facilities like hockey arenas and ski mountains. We all know how often and quickly guidelines can change, we need to make sure we are following the requirements of all of these venues.”
Desilets said the situation can quickly change, which is exactly what happened a few hours later in Concord.
“We have to stay grounded to the fact that these student-athletes are fortunate to be able to play no matter what the challenges and changes might be,” he said. “We have to realize that we are week-to-week, or even day-to-day with this.”
The Hopkinton School Board didn’t approve winter athletics until Saturday morning, and even then it was with caveats. For example, the high school is using a hybrid learning model, but student-athletes who are playing basketball or ice hockey will be asked to attend classes remotely.
“The overwhelming understanding by EVERYONE is that safety for all must be our priority. Masks must be worn at all times, 6-ft distancing whenever possible, and not coming to practice if you feel at all unwell or cannot answer no to our screening questions,” Hopkinton Athletic Director Dan Meserve said in an email to student-athletes and their parents. “Furthermore, members of teams need to understand how precarious this winter season is. They need to do their best to keep themselves and their teammates safe; this means following CDC and health guidelines away from the actual sport too – staying away from public gatherings, wearing masks, and socially distancing, and doing everything you can to stay safe.”