Playing with their school sports teams has been prohibited to student-athletes attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School since March, due to COVID-19 regulations. However, as the fall season is approaching, the Broward County Athletic Department is considering the safety of students and making decisions regarding the start of school sports. Their decision may result in students playing as early as October 2020. So, students have started training to be in peak condition for their possible upcoming season.

Many MSD athletes participate in travel sports during the school year, so they can spend time working on their games en route for their respective school seasons. COVID-19 impacted a lot of student athletes routines and seasons by closing down the facilities they train at, making it more difficult to train and continue to get better. With the school year coming back, now travel players are beginning to go back and train, because their seasons start soon.

Aside from school, student athletes have been attending workouts to stay in good form for their upcoming games and matches. Many do this by either training on their own, or training with teammates and friends.

“During quarantine I have been lifting weights every day trying to get stronger, I go to the fields three to four times a week as well to condition and get great work in with some teammates from football,” varsity football center Ryan Nemeth said. 

For some, this new change of schedule due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions may benefit senior and junior athletes. To stay in shape to make their travel teams and Varsity teams and get looked at by college scouts because they will be working harder to tell the scouts that they are good enough to play for a good college.

Starting on to online school isn’t how most incoming freshmen planned their first year of High School to pan out. Now freshman student athletes have to make a change to benefit them online in class and on the court, field, pool or ice.

“My travel team has definitely been a huge part of staying active. Between different clinics, practices, and tryouts, there’s a lot of precautions put into place so that we can do these things,” freshman Collin Considine said. “Playing at a high level is always challenging, especially with the new rules and regulations,” Considine said. “I think that we’re gonna be a fast team, we will compete, we’re definitely not gonna go down without a fight.” 

Off the ice and into the pool, junior Madison Hockman, who is on the swim team, and junior Grannie Popen, who plays water polo, both have been affected from the COVID-19 outbreak. Both girls are doing whatever they can to stay in shape for their meets and upcoming games later this year.

“During quarantine when the pools were closed I tried to run everyday and do a few workouts as well. Once the pool was open, I went to practice as often as I could,” Hockman said. 

Fall sports are supposed to begin with training at the end of September. Winter sports hope that they can have a normal season starting in November.