In today’s “new world” we are faced with many difficult decisions for the safety of the public. One of those decisions is the question of whether or not to continue fall sports. Many teams have spent the summer training and hoping to get a season, but with Sylvania Schools beginning virtually things were not looking good for athletes. Sylvania Schools announced that they would discuss the upcoming fall sports season at their August 10 board meeting. This led to many athletes, parents, and coaches heading to 4747 Sylvania Avenue to rally in support of continuing with fall sports.
In this changing world some normalcy can be comforting. Mental health is a real concern during this time as the world is socially distant. “Kids getting outside and staying healthy is important and is good for mental health,” Coach David Briggs of Northview Cross Country said. Athletes want their chance to show what they can do.
Sports are often a chance at a further education or even career for some athletes. “It is my junior season which is kind of my year to get the attention of college coaches and I’m unable to do that if I cannot play,” junior and Varsity Soccer player Nicole Taylor said.
Even parents want to see their kids play. “This is my son’s senior year and I don’t want him to miss out of his senior year of football and we already lost baseball in the spring and I really wanna see him play,” Mrs. Motter, mother of senior quarterback Brandon Motter, said.
On the other hand, many people have argued that if schools are not meeting in person why would Sylvania Schools allow sports to continue to play saying that it is just as likely to put students in danger of getting sick and there will be a loss of money this season without ticket sales to offset costs.
The Sylvania School Board voted to allow all fall sports to continue to practice following the OHSAA’s (Ohio High School Athletic Association) current plan. Contact sports are still unsure whether or not they will have any competitions for the season as of now. Non-contact sports will continue to practice and can have competitions and scrimmages as long as they follow all OHSAA Covid-19 guidelines. The board made sure to note that Governor Mike Dewine can shut down all sports operations at any time. For now athletes can look forward to their fall seasons.
The next Board of Education Meeting will be Thursday, August 13 at 5pm to discuss the Red plan and teacher cuts. You can watch live on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSN7xd3-yew
