By Gideon Z. Miller-
COVID-19 has changed what Ida Crown’s sports will look like this year. In response to COVID-19, safety guidelines have been adopted by some sports, other sports have switched seasons, and some sports have been canceled.
As of now, it seems boys’ soccer will take place in the spring instead of the fall. This year is supposed to be the first year boys’ soccer will take place, and Senior Noah Brody, one of the team’s founders, said “I am hopeful that the soccer season can take place during the spring. I have been looking forward to a boys’ soccer team for a while, so I hope I will get to play before I graduate.”
The regular Cross Country season has been canceled, though Ezra Jaffe, Ida Crown’s Cross County coach, is experimenting with an intramural season.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the body that organizes Illinois high school athletic programs, has released a set of guidelines to allow sports to continue in a safe way. These guidelines— under the IHSA’s Phase Four of Return to Play-- introduces a cap of fifty participants in practices and contests. The guidelines also stipulate that those not currently participating must be masked.
The Ida Crown administration has expressed doubt that schools hosting contests will follow the guidelines laid out and has therefore canceled Cross Country.
The cancellation of Cross Country and the potential cancellation of other sports later this year may mean that some students will not participate on a team this year and will not get both the physical and social benefits associated with being on a team. If more sports get canceled, Ida Crown will most likely continue to require a Physical Education credit; however, the school will allow this credit to be fulfilled at home.
While a P.E. requirement may ensure students’ physical activity, it would not make up for the social benefits that participation on sports teams present. Senior Pelah Cohen highlighted the social benefits of sports, saying “I made so many friends through Cross Country, and the team allowed me to interact with members of other grades whom I would not necessarily have the opportunity of getting to know otherwise. I’m going to miss the social aspects of Cross Country this year.”
Though decisions have been made for fall sports, winter and spring sports are still up in the air. The administration and IHSA will evaluate the COVID-19 situation later in the year before deciding how to proceed.
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