Return of the Jayhawk: Sports Will Help Us Regain Some Notion of Normalcy

No one can argue that their life hasn’t changed since March 2020 — Capitol insurrections and Texan blizzards weren’t even in our scope of reality just 1 year ago. But perhaps one of the biggest (albeit not as harmful) departures from normalcy during the last half-year was the stoppage of sports; the loss of this unexpectedly grounding pattern left Americans feeling unsettled in a time of uncertainty. As professional and college sports gradually return, and even Bay Area high school teams start to practice, the question remained: How and when would the School’s sports come back — when will our school get its (partial) return to normalcy? For a long time, nobody knew.

“There are so many organizations with guidance and the power to dictate what you can do and what you can’t do,” said Athletic Director Brendan Blakeley. First, the governor’s office releases general guidelines for athletics in California. Then each county decides whether to prohibit, restrict, or fully allow sports. 

Additionally, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) — responsible for regulating all high school sports in the state — released its plan to combine the traditional three sports seasons into just two. “For small schools, this is horrible,” said Blakeley. Smaller schools, like the School, simply cannot afford the overlap of different teams. A student might have to choose between soccer and basketball, for instance, and teams who rely on those multi-sport athletes are at risk of cancellation. 

In an effort to protect less popular sports teams, California’s small schools submitted a proposal to the North Coast Section (NCS) to allow three shortened seasons as opposed to two full-length ones, which NCS approved on October 2nd.Unfortunately, the December stay-at-home orders postponed that schedule indefinitely. 

However, when Governor Gavin Newsom lifted those stay-at-home orders in January, Head-Royce quickly announced another new sports schedule, laying out plans for 3 different 6-week seasons. Cross country, Women’s Tennis, and Golf started on February 8th and will end on March 19th. Track, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, Lacrosse, and Boys Tennis will start on March 15th and end on April 30th. The last season, which includes Swimming, Basketball, and Soccer, will last from April 19th through June 4th.

Last fall, the Athletic Department hosted physical distanced practices and Zoom workouts for select teams — the hope being that our athletes could stay prepared while we waited for those organizations to figure out a course of action.

As much as this story about our school’s planning and process, it is our athletes who should be at the center of any discussion. In a time when more things are up in the air than on the ground — when there are far more questions than answers, it’s difficult to keep the focus and the dedication it takes to compete at the highest level. 

For all of us, exercise can help us take a break from a world that can seem so overwhelming and so exhausting, especially nowadays. “Whether it’s anything from walking…to running up hills, just stay active,” said Blakeley. “There is a direct link between our physical health and our mental health.” 

Through his daily strength building and multi-mile runs, captain of the men’s soccer team and two-time NCS champion Duncan Keker stays focused and grounded. “I have found that hard exercise really helps with my mental health, and my routine has kept me motivated for when things hopefully start to open back up,” he said via email.

The coronavirus has also altered student athletes’ path towards college athletics. Once so straightforward, the college recruiting process now presents athletes with new challenges that they had no way to prepare for. “It definitely sets us back,” said junior women’s lacrosse star Sadie Dodson. “For everyone trying to go [to Division 1] schools, this was the summer to make your dream a reality.” 2020 puts athletes in an unfair position, she said: risk your health and break the rules, or lose your shot at college athletics. Dodson chooses the best of both worlds. Over the summer, she attended multiple virtual recruitment camps with college coaches. “Obviously you can’t demonstrate your skills as a player,” said Dodson. “But these camps are more intimate — more time to talk with coaches, so there’s definitely more of an opportunity to demonstrate your skills as a person.”

Other athletes just crave the competition and comradery that is impossible to replicate outside of athletics. “At this point, I am happy with anything that gets me and my boys back on the field playing and laughing together, even if the seasons are truncated,” said Keker. Blakeley concurred, saying that this season was more about creating “playing opportunities for our [student athletes]” and prioritizing the social connections than can come from athletics. “After last year’s unfortunate end, I have been determined to get back on top,” Keker added, as he prepares for what will be his last season in a Jayhawks uniform. 

For some athletes, a COVID-19 season is still a chance to get recruited to the next stage of their athletic journey. For others, it’s their last chance to play for the “HR” on their jersey. For all, it’s a chance to recapture a familiar part of their life, which has inevitably changed so much this year. “Soccer is an outlet for all of us and playing, even if socially distanced, makes us happy,” said Keker. “For all my athletes, stay motivated, keep working hard, and keep dreaming. We will get back out there sooner or later.”