BI Word
VOLUME I, ISSUE 2
NOVEMBER, 2020
Athletic Director, Mr. Bryant, is Confident that Sports Will Continue By Dustin Gardner
T
he current school year has brought with it several exciting events and crucial changes. While the pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty, the student body can have hope due to the outstanding work of the school’s new Athletics Director, Mr. Dwayne Bryant. This has not been a normal year for sports at Ireton. With the second wave of Covid-19 increasing and Ireton revealing several cases, decisions on the upcoming athletic seasons are difficult to make. At Ireton, most teams have been given the luxury of being able to practice amidst the pandemic. While none of the sports teams are pursuing matches with other schools just yet, the ability to practice is a bright spot. Senior Jonathan Cassin, who runs cross country for the school stated, “We have had a few practices which I believe is important. I can still get outside and continue to get better with these rules!” Jonathan makes an excellent point that athletes can still improve their ability. Through these frequent practice students can excel in either moving up in their high school career or excelling at the college level. In addition, teams have had the opportunity to pursue off season workouts. Off season workouts allow players to improve their overall performance, and even allow for social distance. Players can potentially complete off season workouts at home or in small groups in the Ireton Workout room. This gives athletes further resources to improve their game. Though teams have been able to find hope by holding practices and workouts, the future looks even brighter. In an email sent out on November 12, the Athletic Director set a schedule for organized play in the WCAC. The WCAC had the conference schools agree to a tentative schedule to start athletics January 10th. This included plans to pursue spring and possibly win-
ter sports. Teams such as, swimming, baseball, hockey, and cheerleading will start sooner and will follow all COVID-19 protocols. Dwayne Bryant, Athletic Director at Bishop Ireton stated, “Wrestling, football, and cheerleading have suffered the most due to the pandemic.” He also touched on some potential issues that could occur. He explained that “There will be some schools that will probably have issues because of their jurisdiction. DC has not been allowed to practice and schools in similar areas will likely cancel their season.” He also talked about the possibility of having no fans at the games. Everybody will have to wear masks and be socially distant, including the coaches. This could be a challenge, but the Athletic Director seems confident that everyone was up for the task. “I am very proud of the school and the coaches for giving the kids this opportunity to play” he said.