Will they play or won't they? That is the question.
And believe it or not, no matter what Governor Kim Reynolds, the Iowa High School Athletic Association or the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union decides, it will be the wrong answer by a large majority of folks.
This is a no win situation for everyone making the decisions.
There are still a large number of folks who think COVID-19 is doomsday. And there are a bunch more who think it's no big deal. It lies somewhere in between, like most things in life.
Nothing is as bad as it seems. Or as good as it seems.
My personal opinion in this matter doesn't really make any difference. I won't be the one making the decision and my daughter is only 7. We are not in a position for this to matter to me on a personal level.
I want the kids to be able to play. I want the seniors to have one final season. I think Iowa and America needs positive news. We need something to take our minds off the pandemic.
That doesn't mean I want it to be a free for all. My family and I have hand sanitizers in our vehicles for when we are out and about. We each have two masks to wear in public.
But at some point, we are going to have to learn to live with the virus. Because who knows when a vaccine will come. And even so, we have a vaccine for the flu and folks still get that. So we will have to learn to live with it, vaccine or not.
I have a few suggestions at how this can work for both softball and baseball seasons. I am not expert by any means but there are ways to make the situation as safe as can be.
For instance, fitness centers are opening up again this week. But they are making some drastic changes to make sure they can stay open and their members are safe.
Why can't we do that with this? If you ask a kid who plays a summer sport to make an adjustment or not play, what do you think they will choose?
Here are some things we can do to make this work.
-- Bus rides
Take them away. Why we do we need to put a bunch of kids in a bus? Just have the parents take the kids to and from the games. Most of the kids don't ride the bus home anyway.
-- Dugouts
Don't use them this summer. If you don't want to jam the kids into one space, just line them up along the fence on each base line. They'd have to pay attention more and wear helmets out there, but it's better than nothing.
-- Waivers
I would make every player sign a waiver. If they want to play, a waiver signature from the parents is required. If they agree to play and something happens, they can't sue. We all have choices. If we don't want to play, we don't have to. But if you do play, just know the consequences.
-- Temperature checks
I think making the kids do temperature checks before each game or practice would be wise. They would do that if it means they get to play.
As we know, the baseball and softball games are naturally social distanced when they are in the field. The only hangup would at the plate. There is no way to keep the batter six feet away from the catcher and six feet away from the umpire.
That might be something they just have to deal with. But we also don't have to touch everyone we are close to. Just stay as far away as you can and make sure to use some kind of sanitizer in the dugout.
I have a natural bubble by nature. I am not a guy who has to be in contact with a lot of people. I like being inside my house and in my basement most of the time.
But I also don't live my life in fear. I am not built that way.
In the end, if the kids play or not could and maybe should come down to the parents. If they want to play, make them sign a waiver. If you don't want to play, it is certainly a choice you can make.
We also might be in a situation where Governor Reynolds gives the OK to play, but the IHSAA and IGHSAU both say no. Or one could yes and the other one could say no. They also could both say yes.
And the schools themselves don't have to play. That's a choice, too.
I would be shocked in the Des Moines Public Schools play summer sports. They have been ahead of the curve when it comes to being conservative. They canceled the rest of the school year before Governor Reynolds made the decision.
It appears by the numbers that small communities and farm communities are just not as affected by all of this. So will all the small towns play and the big cities won't? That remains to be seen.
I don't know what they'll do. And I really don't know what they should do. I think, like everything else in life, we can find a way to adjust and make it happen.
Maybe they play. Maybe they don't. I am 50/50 at this point. It could go either way.
And we could certainly use the distraction.
No comments:
Post a Comment