ANN ARBOR, MI - A fall and winter of following COVID-19 protocols wasn’t exactly good for team morale, but Ann Arbor Pioneer High School senior Matthew Grier said he was happy to take the safety measures knowing this spring would be better than last.
The Pioneer baseball team’s season was canceled last spring amid the spread of COVID-19. And now, Ann Arbor Public Schools’ decision to pause spring sports is leaving Grier and his teammates wondering why they’re getting the short end of the stick again.
“It’s our escape into normality where we can feel happy like life is pre-COVID times,” Grier said. “It’s definitely a tough time to go through, especially when an outlet is taken away from us. We’ve followed all protocols and we’ve done exactly what they’ve asked and now we’re not playing and we’re not practicing. It’s definitely one of those things where you feel like we got shorted.”
AAPS’ decision to pause spring sports practices and competition beginning March 27 was made in consultation with the Washtenaw County Health Department, AAPS Executive Director for High School Education Paul DeAngelis said,
The decision marks the third consecutive sports season being paused by the district in 2020-21 due to COVID-19.
The pause did not impact winter sports teams competing in the state tournaments - a move being questioned by both parents and student-athletes.
“Winter sports was able to complete their seasons and baseball lost their entire season last year because of COVID,” said parent Nancy Colasanti, noting that parents of the Pioneer baseball team paid for them to practice all winter at an indoor facility in Ypsilanti because they weren’t allowed to use the school’s gym for offseason training.
“I’m only speaking baseball, but these kids are being penalized two years in a row. It’s just ridiculous what they’re doing. I would like to know the reason why. It just isn’t right.”
Allowing a few student-athletes still competing in winter sports, like swimming and basketball, to complete their seasons made sense, given that COVID-19 testing is taking place prior to state and regional participation, Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift said.
COVID-19 cases among those connected with athletic teams, however, have increased from 18 at the end of last week to around 30, Swift said, with cases “widely distributed across schools, across teams and across our community.”
“At the cusp of seasons, it’s important to not get into a blame situation,” Swift said. “There are a number of students who are multi-sport athletes. It would have been impossible in a healthy and safe way to (make decisions) by sport. It’s not as clean as all of that in practical application, particularly with socialization across schools and across teams.”
Beginning Monday and Tuesday, April 5-6, all high school student-athletes will participate in a rapid antigen test as required by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Swift said.
Testing around 1,500 student-athletes will give AAPS a “baseline” in informing its decision on next steps with spring sports competitions, Swift said. Further consultation with the Washtenaw County Health Department also will take place, she said.
Generally, the district is looking for a stabilization and decline in the number of positive COVID-19 cases across athletic teams, Swift said.
“These students are the microcosm of the macro,” Swift said. “We’re looking for declines across both the sports and in our community so that we can feel that it is safe. Certainly the fact that spring sports are out of doors gives us a much better opportunity to keep folks safe and allow them to participate.”
COVID-19 cases are on the rise among those age 19 and younger, with cases spread out “proportionally” between elementary, middle and high school students, Washtenaw County Deputy Health Officer Ruth Kraut said.
While different factors are at play in clusters of cases, a common thread observed among the younger age group has been participation in social gatherings, Kraut said.
“The truth is a lot of kids who play on a team together are friends, socially,” Kraut said. “Some households have been extremely careful about social activities and others less so.”
In the meantime, Grier said the Pioneer baseball team is left in limbo. The team isn’t allowed to have organized practices with coaches but because there have been no positive tests on the team, some players have been gathering for their own practices on the side.
While encouraging results from upcoming testing could help get players back on the field, Grier said it feels like the team isn’t prepared with just two varsity practices under its belt. While he said he thinks the district has acted with appropriate caution when facing difficult decisions, he wonders if this latest decision to pause spring sports is being too cautious.
“I think caution is good, in moderation, but I feel like we’re being overly cautious here and it’s affecting people who have worked hard all year on and off the field to stay safe and just to be ready for the season,” he said. “I feel like it’s just an overreach of power in general.”
READ MORE:
Ann Arbor Public Schools pauses spring sports after surge in COVID-19 cases
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