By Audrey Yoshimura, Staff Writer
The fall sports season is steadily approaching while athletes and coaches continue to prepare despite the uncertainty of a 2020-2021 sports season. Prior to the start of the school year, CIF released plans to push back all sports into the spring season for the school year on July 20, 2020. These plans depend on whether or not the school reopens but regardless of this uncertainty, the TCHS sports community comes together despite present circumstances.
Unable to meet in person, players resort to meeting with their coaches over Zoom. Although virtual meetings are no replacement for in-person practice time, athletes practice on their own. In particular, the cross country team trains by implementing endurance building workouts into their routines.
“We hope there is a season; the earliest we could have our meet would be the day after Christmas, but it’s a coin toss so we don’t know when it’s going to happen,” cross country coach Mike Tomasulo said. “It’s a shame for these people who want to do well for their senior year and if they’re capable of going onto college, there’s a chance colleges won’t recognize them. I hope for those people they’re able to compete. I wish we could start practicing today.”
The football team is working on the mental aspect of the game, such as watching films and finding ways to get better by being at home. They are also focusing on selecting newer players onto the team.
“When I found out we might not have summer practice or even have a season, I was mad,” sophomore football player Isaiah Douglas said. “Personally, I want to go to the NFL, and not having a season will hurt that chance. I’ll be more rusty and I’m going to have to work twice as hard.”
Aside from the athletes who plan to play at a collegiate level, seniors also miss out on their last year to compete and make memories with teammates if the season does not take place.
“Being a senior, it was supposed to be my best year, to try new things and have a good season. I’m a little bummed since I was looking forward to being with the team and meeting the new freshman,” senior volleyball player Edna Ho said. “Now with COVID-19, I think that we’re all sad that we can’t have a good season together. Regardless, we are trying our best to log in our workouts to make sure we’re coming into the season prepared.” Despite not having a guaranteed sports season, there is still a chance that a season may happen. To work around this uncertainty, teams work out in moderation while also maintaining connections among their teammates.
Girls golf practices on their own, occasionally holding zoom meetings to check in with each other. Seeing that golf is a social distance friendly sport, several of the players on the team participate in tournaments and training lessons. Similarly, the boys and girls soccer teams meet on Zoom to discuss weekly workout plans with their coaches.
The girls tennis team attends frequent meetings every Thursday to get assigned workouts that target different muscle groups. They also discuss strategy, watch videos and take quizzes.
“I definitely think not having a season is for the best,” junior tennis player Isabella Mejia said. “I’m just appreciative that they’re trying their best to make us feel like we’re doing something and still feel part of a team.”
Despite not having a definitive answer on an upcoming 2020-2021 season, administrators and coaches are working to ensure student-athletes get the most out of their season regardless of what that looks like.
“I’m scheduling as I work and I’m making sure things follow through. If I were a student I would definitely want to play, but the last thing I would want is to get sick which is why safety always comes first,” Athletic Director Eric Chin said. “Keep doing your thing and hopefully we’re able to compete with each other. Until then, we’ll continue to prepare and hope for the best.”