Planning for a season that might not happen

At this time last year, the spring sports season was in full swing. Coaches and athletes were focused on wins and losses, dodging weird Vermont weather and the fields at South Burlington High School were packed.

Now, coaches and athletes are dealing with a very different reality.

“Obviously this is going to have a huge impact on their life going forward,” said South Burlington girls lacrosse coach Anjie Soucy. “This is a situation that no one has really ever experienced.”

When all Vermont schools were instructed to continue remote learning for rest of the school year due to COVID-19, high school athletes and coaches immediately began wondering about the state of the spring sports season.

While schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year, the Vermont Principals’ Association - the governing body for high school sports - is delaying the decision to cancel the season for as long as it can.

“I hope that we can get out and play at some point and I really hope that the decision to have some sort of a season can be postponed until they absolutely have too,” Soucy said. “That the kids have something that they are holding on to is a big win.”

The uncertain situation has teams and coaches turning to new tools to keep their athletes in shape as the wait for a final decision.

For Soucy that is putting together weekly workouts as well as one video a week to keep her players active and engaged in lacrosse.

“Some sort of cardio, some strength and a lacrosse component,” Soucy said of what she is providing her players. “With the weekly workout plan that we sent the kids, if we do this for the next four or five weeks, if we do get going, we can hit the ground running.”

South Burlington’s track and field coaches are also using workout plans for their athletes, with an added element – live Zoom workouts.

“The live Zoom sessions have included everything from core and strength circuits, to stretching and mobility improvement, to even stair workouts in the basement,” said Geoff Bennett, the boys coach. “At this stage in the season, everything is ‘opt-in,’ and we are thankful to be able to work with athletes whenever the join us.”

The track and field teams are also creating online plans for each event group and training menus where the athletes can work with coaches to design their own training.

“They are still hopeful that we will get to have a season and want to stay in shape and start their training,” said Dennis Akey, the girls track coach. “If the VPA allows spring sports to reconvene once the social distancing rules for the state relax, they still want to compete, even if it requires us to do it in an unconventional way.”

All three coaches expressed gratitude to the VPA for waiting to make a call on the spring season and brought up the willingness of their athletes to extend past the normal graduation date to get a chance to play.

“There have so been so many changes so quickly, and I think for a lot of students this has been a welcome outlet to relieve stress, be healthy and maintain connections with teammates and coaches,” Bennett said. “I applaud the VPA and our Athletic Director, Mike Jabour, for doing everything they can for the athletes to give them some kind of a season.”

While the athletes wait on the final word on spring sports, the coaches will continue to provide workouts, check in on their players and provide support in confusing time.

“I hope they feel some degree of normalcy as they follow a familiar training plan, a familiar routine, and see familiar faces to keep them going,” Akey said. “Physical exercise is great for your well-being as is the social connection from our Zoom practices.

“Whether we get to have a season or not, we want to train just like we would at the beginning of the season in the hopes that we do get to do something.”