Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, all aspects of school life had to adapt, including sports practice. Sports teams this past spring were forced to switch to an online model.
Conditioning is always an essential part of in-person practices, and it continued to be when practices began taking place online. During remote practices, spring teams often worked out together on Google Meet, and athletes were usually allowed to choose if they had their cameras and microphones on or off. Most teams had practice twice a week after online classes, and practices typically lasted between thirty minutes to an hour.
Some spring sports teams participated in a plank challenge, where at the end of every practice each athlete held a plank for as long as they could. Additionally, many teams played various trivia and team-bonding games. For example, JV Tennis played tennis trivia once every few weeks. The trivia game varied from questions, including what type of gas is used inside a tennis ball to how long was the longest tennis match ever played.
Unfortunately, there was less time for athletes to bond during remote training, as compared to in-person practice. The brief school season also caused spring pep rally to be canceled, the first scheduled spring pep rally in 3 years. In addition to practices, the annual sports dinner was moved online, hosted by Gus Ornstein, where athletes were able to attend the dinner via Google Meet. Sports from every season were represented by students from different grades, and seniors spoke about their experience on sports teams during their time at Fieldston.
The switch to remote practices was a significant adjustment for all of the coaches and athletes that participate in the spring sports season. Despite the fact that the change was so sudden, spring sports teams were still able to stay connected during this uncertain time.
Written by Elizabeth Walker and Rex Hechter
