Winter Sports Transition

Story by: Micah Katzenmeier

As the leaves finish falling and scraping your windshields becomes more common in the morning, winter sports are now in full swing. With the KSHSAA board approving the start of winter sports without fans until 2021, this years’ basketball and wrestling contests will look very different from last season.

Eudora High School Athletic Direction Cara Kimberlin details the procedures and expectations of winter sports athletes, coaches, and their parents. Mrs. Kimberlin has many plans and procedures, she plans on being very cautious and is putting safety first.

“Players must check-in prior to practice. The player’s temperature will be scanned upon check-in, and players will be asked a series of questions related to COVID-19 symptoms, and recent travel. Any player who replies yes to COVID-19 symptoms has recently traveled to a banned state, or has an elevated temperature above 100.3 degrees, will be sent home.” Temperature checks and COVID-19 symptoms will dictate who can participate in certain activities and who will be eligible for practice and play.

Eudora plans on having guidelines to protect our players and coaches. The high school will be cleaning and sanitizing everything often and will have rules dictating social distancing and the number of spectators will be limited based on the situation.

“Players, coaches, and managers will wash hands before, during, and after each practice session. Hand sanitizer will be available to distribute to players on breaks throughout the practice. Wrestlers who refuse to keep their masks on will be asked to leave the practice,” continues Kimberlin.

The winter sports coaches plan on having precautions to protect their team.

Boys basketball head coach Kyle Deterding said, “We will follow the school’s safety guidelines. Currently, our players are required to wear masks the entire practice. We also have the players in pods within our team. Sanitizer is available, cleaning the equipment we use, taking more breaks, spreading out more when possible, and everything else that is recommended.”

Gus Andrews, the wrestling coach at Eudora High School has bought into the precautions and procedures set out by administrators.

Andrews explained, “We have split our practices into two different sessions. Each session has four groups that maintain as much space between each group as possible. Wrestlers are not allowed to switch out of their group. We are cleaning before and after each group enters the wrestling room. It has been working well this week and we will continue to do so as the season goes on.”

Like most activities, events, and every day expectations at EHS, masks are required to participate.

“No Exceptions. Coaches, managers, and players must wear masks all the time including during scrimmage time. Scrimmaging time will be limited. Masks can only be removed if the athlete steps outside to take a mask break or to get a drink. During these breaks players must be 6’ or more away from one another. Mask breaks CAN NOT take place in the gym,” said Kimberlin.

The girls basketball coach, Brandon Parker stated, “The most obvious difference is that there will be no fans through the end of January. There will also be a good chance that the kids will be playing with masks on at times this season. Yes, we will continue to follow all of the school’s safety guidelines. We wear masks at practice. Each player sanitizes throughout practice. We clean the basketballs after the practice and when getting water we are all socially distanced around the gym.”

Eudora’s coaches are very vocal and supportive about wanting to keep their students safe and healthy. So, students were also given the chance to voice their opinions and say what they thought.

Basketball player and Sophomore Sawyer Schreiner gave some of her opinions. ”I won’t mind the changes to practice or games, just as long as I get to play safely with my teammates. I will admit that it’s more difficult to breathe with a mask on, but you gotta do what you gotta do so people don’t get sick. I know we won’t have any people in the stands, which will be kinda awkward and quiet. The whole team can’t practice together for the first week because we can’t have too many people in the gym all at once. So we got split up into two groups for practice. There’s also no jump ball at the beginning of the game, they just give it to the visitor team.” said Schreiner.

Eudora’s staff, students, and coaches all want safety in our sports and in our schools. It is important that everyone follow the set guidelines and do what they are told for the safety of our schools’ players and coaches.