Wakefield coaches excited about beginning of fall season
Published August 26, 2020
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Now, the game is logistics.
With the MIAA’s recently approved vote of high school sports to return on Sept. 18, administrators will now step up to the plate, looking for a gap to safely keep this rally going in the coronavirus era.
The MIAA’s vote put the onus on individual schools and leagues to make their own decisions. This is especially true for schools that are planning on a fully remote reopening. These schools, so long as they are not designated as “red” by the Department of Public Health’s average of daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, would have the option to play or postpone their fall season to the floating season of Feb. 22-April 25 which is scheduled to have football. Schools in the red will not be able to play in the fall.
The early reports in the Middlesex League, where no communities are in the red, are that two weeks of preseason starting around Sept. 18 will be followed by a six-week game schedule (pending plenty of logistics to figure out first). This would likely be an 8-10 game schedule against teams within your own division, meaning Wakefield would most likely twice play Freedom foes Melrose, Watertown, Wilmington, Stoneham and Burlington. With the MIAA’s vote of no MIAA-sanctioned tournaments, the league would also be able to create their own tournament/playoffs.
According to a recent Pioneer Institute study, Watertown is the only Freedom Division school to have a remote-only reopening plan. Everyone else, including Wakefield, is listed to have a hybrid start. Melrose is technically hybrid but will begin the year mostly remote for at least four weeks. The city’s School Committee was expected to vote on fall sports last night, but Supt. Dr. Julie Kukenberger asked that the vote be delayed because the Middlesex League superintendents and athletic directors are in the midst of forging a deal that would allow most sports to go forward. That vote was put off last night and will be rescheduled for Sept. 8.
League-wide logistics are pending on those individual school district’s decisions so schedules likely won’t become official until the week of Sept. 14.
All of Wakefield’s fall sports coaches are excited but certainly aware that there is plenty still to be decided.
“I was absolutely thrilled to hear we got the go ahead to start on the 18th,” said girls’ soccer coach Steph Martin. “Although there are more logistics to work through before it’s official, it was very uplifting to hear this news. It will certainly be a challenging year getting started weeks later but my kids have been working hard this summer and will continue to do so to be ready for the start of the season. I’m so happy for all the players in my program but especially my seniors. Sports are such a huge part of their high school lives and I’m excited that they will have this opportunity that they so deserve.”
“We’re definitely excited to have some sort of season,” echoed golf coach Chris Keane. “So much is still unknown as of right now. I’m sure we’ll have a change in our schedule and playing format. The only way to prepare is to keep playing and practicing.”
Administrators will also have a responsibility to create safe environments for playing and practicing. These were outlined in the EEA’s guidelines for safe play and include tips for cleaning and disinfecting. For indoor sports, it appears that fans will be limited to one per student-athlete.
Booking fields, courts and most especially pools will be another hurdle to clear.
According to coach Kathy Byrne, the Wakefield girls’ swim team will be looking for a new home as their typical home pool at Malden High will not be renting facilities as they are reopening fully remote.
“That is our first challenge with more to come,” said Byrne. “There are still so many questions to be answered.”
Difficult logistics don’t mean everyone shouldn’t be excited to play. They are.
“I am thrilled for the team especially our seniors,” said Byrne. “I know the season will be much different from any other, but of course we will do our best.”
Modifications to limit close contact will also need to be made, especially for sports deemed to be of moderate risk according to a report from the DESE. Those fall sports include soccer, field hockey and volleyball.
Golf, swimming and cross country are among the sports that listed as low risk but there will still be some new safety protocols in place.
In cross country for example, gone will be the bunched up starts in which runners jockey for position. Staggered starts, which will be a fine metaphor for the current state of social distancing, drastically changes the sport, but coaches will gladly teach on the fly if it means the student athletes can play.
“I think it’s fantastic that we are going to be able to compete,” said girls’ cross country head coach Karen Barrett. “There are still a lot of things to be worked out as far as logistics but my team has been training hard all summer. As soon as we get the final decisions from the MIAA we will be ready to go.
“Although there are no state tournaments for the fall season, it will be great for the kids to get back a sense of normal life. We are ready to comply with any covid restrictions and as a coach, I am really looking forward to doing what I love to do.”
From the MIAA to local administrators, credit is due for safely figuring out solutions to current ongoing problems as well as inevitable new ones. Something that could easily be described as a logistical nightmare is a welcome challenge if it benefits the student athletes who deserve the opportunity to once again enjoy sports and all it provides.
