Before I get attacked, let me say that I am pro high school sports. I have sat and read and listened as this whole OHSAA debacle has taken place and have identified a few things I have found interesting
1) Jason Lloyd said it as well as it can be said and I paraphrase: Kids are going to wear masks and be socially distanced the entire school day and then go outside and smash into each other continuously for two or more hours after school. Regardless of your political views, the hypocrisy of this is ridiculous to say the least.
2) A lot of parents and coaches have been using the “kids have to have sports for their mental health. Lack of sports creates stress, suicidal thoughts, and mental illness.” If this is true, and by reading many articles people have posted where many doctors think it is, then we are in BIG trouble as a country. Forget overwhelming our hospitals. We should be concerned about overwhelming our mental health institutions the next couple years. SEVEN PERCENT of high school athletes go on to play in college. ONE PERCENT play beyond college. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sports is going to end very soon for almost all kids and if they can’t handle that then we are in BIG trouble as a country. Maybe we should be promoting non-contact sports like golf, tennis, and running that kids can play the rest of their lives, with or without school and with or without the coronavirus. This would appear to eliminate a lot of potential mental health issues. Maybe it could even help the people who have the real issue with sports being delayed or canceled, vicarious mom and dad.
3) The OHSAA keeps saying it’s moving forward so our high school can have a school sports experience and this is what Athletic Directors and Superintendents wanted. Well, your job is to provide that experience to ALL kids. With all these schools canceling and postponing fall sports wouldn’t an association who’s charged with providing an equal opportunity for ALL student athletes move to delay the season so ALL kids could participate. You have a plan for all sports to be played beginning in December. USE IT! So ALL kids can participate! Of course, if it’s only about money, self-preservation, and making your association financially solvent, then I suppose you move forward so you can make your playoff money with 1/3 of the schools and kids not participating.
4) Kids have absolutely no chance of COVID-19 affecting them so let them play. I have heard this way too often. First of all, this appears to be true. But there is A CHANCE, however slim, it could drastically harm a kid. The number of parents willing to take that gamble is alarming. However, the real issue here is the contact kids have with the elderly and vulnerable. I live in a district that embraces its elderly and the elderly embrace our kids and school. I am heartbroken to think we might proceed with high school sports at the possible expense of some of our beloved community members. I hope and pray that parents make sure their kids stay away from the elderly and vulnerable in our community and take the necessary sanitary precautions.
5) My final thought I think is the most alarming. Every list of mandates and procedures for schools to return to sports I have seen has NOT required testing and has relied on self-monitoring and self-evaluation. I have raised two kids of my own.They had to be reminded to brush their teeth and take a shower. How in the heck does any organization or department that has even a most basic understanding of teenagers really believe they will accurately and adequately self-monitor their temperature and possible symptoms of COVID? I’m not even going to get into kids being asymptomatic. I’m just baffled that adults are really willing to roll the dice of a possible huge outbreak on the ability of teenagers to assess if they might have COVID. Isn’t that for doctors to diagnose, not a kid? Maybe this makes it easier for OHSAA to say, “We have no cases. Or we have only had this many cases.” Of course you have no cases. You have teenage kids diagnosing themselves!!! Think about that! If you went to the doctor and a teenager came into your examination room and started to diagnose you, how confident would you be with that diagnoses? There is also the idea that coaches have to take temperatures and make a diagnosis during game week. I really liked my sons football coaches but I WOULD NOT want any of them to be responsible for my son’s medical diagnoses. And what keeps the coach from overlooking the star player’s 101 degree fever for a big game? Especially if that coach is of the belief the virus isn’t real or isn’t a threat to kids. Your kid could be playing with and against multiple players who were diagnosed by a football coach and who might be running “overlooked” fevers or symptoms.
This whole thing has become absurd. Everyone knows what the “right” thing to do is but we have become blinded divided by our political beliefs and by our own personal interests. Unfortunately, we have seen far too often lately that a void of true leadership leads to a division of people who really ultimately want the same thing - kids to be safe and still be physically active. In order for ALL kids to have the same opportunity our leaders need to move the season.
1) Jason Lloyd said it as well as it can be said and I paraphrase: Kids are going to wear masks and be socially distanced the entire school day and then go outside and smash into each other continuously for two or more hours after school. Regardless of your political views, the hypocrisy of this is ridiculous to say the least.
2) A lot of parents and coaches have been using the “kids have to have sports for their mental health. Lack of sports creates stress, suicidal thoughts, and mental illness.” If this is true, and by reading many articles people have posted where many doctors think it is, then we are in BIG trouble as a country. Forget overwhelming our hospitals. We should be concerned about overwhelming our mental health institutions the next couple years. SEVEN PERCENT of high school athletes go on to play in college. ONE PERCENT play beyond college. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sports is going to end very soon for almost all kids and if they can’t handle that then we are in BIG trouble as a country. Maybe we should be promoting non-contact sports like golf, tennis, and running that kids can play the rest of their lives, with or without school and with or without the coronavirus. This would appear to eliminate a lot of potential mental health issues. Maybe it could even help the people who have the real issue with sports being delayed or canceled, vicarious mom and dad.
3) The OHSAA keeps saying it’s moving forward so our high school can have a school sports experience and this is what Athletic Directors and Superintendents wanted. Well, your job is to provide that experience to ALL kids. With all these schools canceling and postponing fall sports wouldn’t an association who’s charged with providing an equal opportunity for ALL student athletes move to delay the season so ALL kids could participate. You have a plan for all sports to be played beginning in December. USE IT! So ALL kids can participate! Of course, if it’s only about money, self-preservation, and making your association financially solvent, then I suppose you move forward so you can make your playoff money with 1/3 of the schools and kids not participating.
4) Kids have absolutely no chance of COVID-19 affecting them so let them play. I have heard this way too often. First of all, this appears to be true. But there is A CHANCE, however slim, it could drastically harm a kid. The number of parents willing to take that gamble is alarming. However, the real issue here is the contact kids have with the elderly and vulnerable. I live in a district that embraces its elderly and the elderly embrace our kids and school. I am heartbroken to think we might proceed with high school sports at the possible expense of some of our beloved community members. I hope and pray that parents make sure their kids stay away from the elderly and vulnerable in our community and take the necessary sanitary precautions.
5) My final thought I think is the most alarming. Every list of mandates and procedures for schools to return to sports I have seen has NOT required testing and has relied on self-monitoring and self-evaluation. I have raised two kids of my own.They had to be reminded to brush their teeth and take a shower. How in the heck does any organization or department that has even a most basic understanding of teenagers really believe they will accurately and adequately self-monitor their temperature and possible symptoms of COVID? I’m not even going to get into kids being asymptomatic. I’m just baffled that adults are really willing to roll the dice of a possible huge outbreak on the ability of teenagers to assess if they might have COVID. Isn’t that for doctors to diagnose, not a kid? Maybe this makes it easier for OHSAA to say, “We have no cases. Or we have only had this many cases.” Of course you have no cases. You have teenage kids diagnosing themselves!!! Think about that! If you went to the doctor and a teenager came into your examination room and started to diagnose you, how confident would you be with that diagnoses? There is also the idea that coaches have to take temperatures and make a diagnosis during game week. I really liked my sons football coaches but I WOULD NOT want any of them to be responsible for my son’s medical diagnoses. And what keeps the coach from overlooking the star player’s 101 degree fever for a big game? Especially if that coach is of the belief the virus isn’t real or isn’t a threat to kids. Your kid could be playing with and against multiple players who were diagnosed by a football coach and who might be running “overlooked” fevers or symptoms.
This whole thing has become absurd. Everyone knows what the “right” thing to do is but we have become blinded divided by our political beliefs and by our own personal interests. Unfortunately, we have seen far too often lately that a void of true leadership leads to a division of people who really ultimately want the same thing - kids to be safe and still be physically active. In order for ALL kids to have the same opportunity our leaders need to move the season.