Sports

from Forreston Journal

by Shaw Media

People

SPORTS High school athletes returning to the weight room

IHSA OKs workouts of 10, teams can’t gather yet

BY JEFF HELFRICH jhelfrich@oglecountynews.com

During a normal summer, there’s usually 100 kids a day at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon.

This June, Oregon’s summer athletics program will only be able to allow nine in the building at once with a coach. This is all that’s allowed under phase one of the IHSA’s plan that was approved last Friday in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

“It’s very different,” Oregon Athletic Director Mike Lawton said. “June is one of the busiest times for us in athletics. We’ll do nine at a time and that’ll present challenges, but it’s better than nothing. We plan to do six sessions a day. This plan could have 54 kids a day, but it’s five days a week. We did three days a week in the past.”

The IHSA isn’t currently allowing teams to gather for workouts. Only strength and conditioning programs will be conducted. That could change during the second phase of IHSA’s plan, which can only take effect if the state moves to its phase four, possibly at the end of the month.

Oregon usually does basketball and wrestling camps in July and then football and volleyball in July. In a normal year, the IHSA allows 25 contact days per summer per sport. That could get impacted by the new plan, Lawton said.

“Our coaches are frustrated,” Lawton said. “We have new varsity coaches for boys basketball and girls volleyball. They want to meet their new players and implement their systems. With multisport athletes, it’ll get complicated. It’s going to be less for every sport.”

Lawton said home workouts have been being sent home by coaches and the strength and conditioning teachers. His main concern is how players take care of themselves during their own time over the summer with less structure.

The next uncertainty is what fall sports will look like, if they’re allowed to take place. Lawton said there could be games, fanless games, or nothing at all.

“I wish I knew about the fall,” Lawton said. “What’s frustrating is not knowing and planning for different scenarios. It’s been an emotional roller coaster. Some days I feel good about it, and some days I don’t. Every scenario is on the table and we don’t get to choose.”

Polo

Polo Athletic Director Ted Alston doesn’t think a limited summer program will have a large impact on athletes once they finally get to play games again.

“I don’t think it will affect the teams as much as people think,” Alston said. “It’s nice to have them over the summer, but I think they’ll be fine. It could hurt basketball or volleyball, with them not being able to get shots up or build chemistry. Football, it doesn’t need to be played year-round to be good at it. As long as we’re back for July we’ll be good.”

Alston said he already had a plan in place before the IHSA sent out its approval. He’s appreciated how the IHSA has kept he and other ADs in the loop throughout the process since schools closed and sports were stopped in March.

LIONS CLUB NEWS

Thanks to OHS Baseball Coach Nate Girton, and a few of his close, hard-working friends, several positive improvements have been made to the baseball dugouts and press box at Oregon High School.

A second story has been added to

Polo has had an online program going that gives athletes workouts to do and attendance to keep. That will continue to be apart of Polo’s summer program that will see athletes coming in to work out in small groups like Oregon,.

“The thing that will separate teams in the fall is what kids did their stuff on their own,” Alston said. “I worry about who is working.”

Alston’s gut feeling for the fall is that there will be games. But he thinks there will be fan limitations. He can’t imagine a full cancellation, but maybe change to the school schedule.

“It’s difficult to think about, kids losing athletics,” Alston said. “It’s a big thing for a lot of kids. It was hard to think about in the spring. Hopefully it never happens again. It’s been a rough couple of months.”

Forreston

Prior to the IHSA announcement allowing summer conditioning, Forreston Athletic Director Kyle Zick got four or five emails each day asking the “million dollar question.”