Although it may be hard to remember, there was a time when we didn’t have to wear masks and sanitize everything we touched.  Ever since March, almost everything has changed, including sports. Sports have gotten more and more difficult throughout the year due to Covid, and many fear they will continue to get harder with the winter season coming up on the 21st. The Insider spoke with multiple student athletes to get their take on the situation.

Many people complain that sports are harder when you have to wear a mask, and when you have to spread out. A player for the Arlington Girls U12 Ice Hockey team, who  would prefer  to remain anonymous highlighted the precautions that her team is currently taking to combat COVID. “Everybody has to come to the rink in almost all their gear and wearing masks,,” she remarked. “For games, there are glass dividers on the bench to protect everyone and prevent people from touching each other or sneezing or coughing on each other. A whistle is blown if people stay around the puck for too long. The exit was changed so that there wouldn’t be too much crowding in the lobby. If you don’t wear a mask, you will be asked to leave and your parents will be notified. On every seat or bench to put skates on, there are little dots marked six feet apart from each other for people to get ready while still social distancing,”  said Ruhaan Sharma-Soneja, a player for the Arlington Arrows. “We now [have] a shortened season and we only did practices with masks and social distancing.” 

Even with all these new adjustments, sports could get harder this  upcoming winter because the games will most likely be inside. This means people will have to wear masks even while playing, which will make it harder. That said, some sports may not play during the winter season, so it won’t affect them as much. SFC soccer player Indigo Blankespoor says, “We’ve had to stop playing soccer outside, but we might do conditioning later on.”  Another soccer player who plays for the Arlington Armadillos, said “We wouldn’t normally play during the winter season anyways, so it’s not that big of a change from normal.”

COVID has had an affect on people in so many different ways and invoked a wide range of emotions regarding sports. One soccer player reported that they appreciate the sports they play more now since they are different this year. Another soccer player, Indigo, remarked how it is aggravating when players don’t put their masks on, and COVID rules aren’t enforced by referees. She says teammates are getting hurt, and they need a solid set of rules that players and referees alike can follow with no exceptions. We wish all our Arlington sports teams best of luck, and hope they have a great season!