Last year, the majority of spring sports were cut short and cancelled. Since the pandemic started, the Colorado High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) has been searching for solutions to get athletes back on the track, out in the field, or on the green. 

CHSAA chose to separate high school athletics into four different seasons for the 2020-2021 school year: Season A (fall), Season B (winter), Season C (beginning of spring), and Season D (end of spring to summer). Many Season C sports are beginning to wrap up as Season D sports are starting tryouts and pre-season practices. 

Many spring athletes from the class of 2020 unfortunately did not get a senior season. For the current class of 2021, athletes are looking ahead at the opportunity to perform again, but at the cost of competing into the summer. 

For sports like golf, this adjusted season is convenient. Golf often faces cancelled tournaments due to lasting winter weather. This year however, when their season begins, the weather will be improving. “I’ll put up with summer schedules and conflicts if it means we get better weather.” says Andy Stevens, golf coach and Fossil staff member.

With Season D sports going into the end of June, it has made many students hesitant about going through with their seasons. For many students, the season would conflict with summer plans, family vacations, college visits, and summer jobs. 

Athletes are eager to begin their sports. Specifically for the underclassmen, this will be their first high school spring season. Having good senior leadership is key this year, as the talent and experiences of the freshmen and sophomore classes are still unknown.

There is a lot of fear surrounding student athletes being quarantined due to exposure in the phase four setting. Although in-person school is the ideal learning culture, it can also put sports seasons in jeopardy. With contact tracing, several players could be quarantined at a time, interfering with their competitions. Many coaches are supportive of athlete’s and family’s decisions to either attend school in-person or log in virtually.

Competitions have much tighter restrictions than normal. This is affecting how teams get to their competitions, rules around spectators, when and where teams can warm-up, what sidelines look like, etc.

Both girl’s soccer and golf are expecting big numbers in tryouts, ultimately leading to more cuts. “All I know is numbers,” says girls soccer coach, Kim Whisenant. “Five seniors, twenty eight juniors, twenty sophomores, and thirty freshman.” Tryouts for season D sports are occurring soon and in just a few short weeks we will have finalized rosters.

Fossil athletics have persisted through many cancellations in the past year. The Sabercat community is excited to cheer on these athletes as they claim back their seasons despite difficulties along the way.