When COVID-19 first took hold in the United States, practices and scrimmages for Spring sports teams were well underway at Fieldston. When the campus shut down on March 9th, 2020, spring athletes initially anticipated that their team’s season would resume after Spring Break as the world returned to normalcy. Yet, the opposite happened as the pandemic that continues to plague our world today rapidly increased in severity. Director of Athletics Gus Ornstein had to communicate “the difficult decision to cancel interschool athletic competitions for Spring 2020.” This news devastated many Fieldston students, but most, if not all, Spring sports teams held remote practices and meetings. Although these virtual practices could not replace a real season, they offered a space for some of the team bonding that makes Fieldston Sports special.
At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, students received the unfortunate news that interscholastic competition had been removed from the Fall athletic schedule due to safety concerns. This year, teams from both Winter and Fall sports held a combination of virtual and in-person practices in compliance with Fieldston’s hybrid schedule. Many may assume that the Spring sports season is destined for the same fate as the previous two, yet, several developments from this winter may offer some hope for athletes. As of now, three different COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in the United State and a mass-distribution effort is underway. In January, all educators received the authorization to get the vaccine. As daunting as COVID-19 statistics are, with these vaccines, brighter times are ahead. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their Sports Programs info-site. As all of Fieldston’s Spring sports teams compete and conduct practices outside, the CDC considers them to pose much less of a risk. Of course, physical distancing is necessary for any competition or play to be safe, but several teams can adjust.
Recently, Westchester high schools have been granted approval to return to interscholastic sports. While exciting progress, no such decision for schools in New York City has been made. The NYC Department of Health is expected to release a decision on this matter in the coming weeks according to Ornstein. He shared a piece of information from the Ivy Preparatory Sports League on February 9th, 2021, stating that “as of now, all competition has been canceled for Spring sports, but inter-squad and inter-scholastic scrimmages towards the end of the season remain entirely possible.” Besides a full season of games, nearly “everything is still on the table.” Ornstein offered assurance that Spring athletes can still expect to hold practices, as there have been for both the Fall and Winter seasons, at the very least. There will be a hybrid schedule for upcoming practices, and hopefully, scrimmages will be possible. As disappointing as this news is for many, all of Fieldston’s coaches are going to work to “provide the best possible experience for our athletes this spring.” Of course, nothing is set in stone until the season officially begins on March 8th. Student-athletes remain hopeful that there will be a fun and successful sports season that allows everyone to play and compete.
