Written by Carter Cox (Sports Editor)
After almost a year of having to wait for sports in California to start back up again, they finally have started back up. Very recently the cross country season was combined with a track season and players have the opportunity to choose one or the other at SLVHS. Cross country and Track combining, have created a lot of opportunities for athletes to be able to run again and have the opportunity to be able to try out new things that they hadn’t before. Some sports are currently holding offseason practices though and many are excited to hear this news it gives a sense of hope and a sort of back to normal that the athletes have been hoping for a while.
First, three sports seasons last for up to a month and a half that occur every day of the first day of the month. Some sports can only happen if they are in a certain tier while some sports can happen in any California tier. For the first season, the sport that is happening in Cross Country but the SLVHS cross country team decided to split it into two teams they are going to have a cross country and track and field season in it. In the second season Swimming, Track and Field, Girls Golf, and Girls Tennis will happen in the purple tier that is going to most likely happen for sure unless the coronavirus is out of control. If Santa Cruz is in the orange tier then sports teams will be able to play is girls and boys Volleyball also Football. In the third season which is the last season the sports that can happen in the purple tier will be Boys Golf and Boy’s Tennis, those sports are most likely going to happen. In the red tier, Baseball, Girls Lacrosse, and softball can happen. In the orange tier water polo, soccer, and boys lacrosse will happen if they are in the tier. Lastly, in the yellow tier if Santa Cruz is in it when the season starts basketball and Wrestling will happen if it is in it.
The Cross country and Track season have been a challenging season to put on but they have officially started up. Both the cross country and track team have trained hard for seven months and they are ready to get back at it. The Cross country team’s boy coach Jay Avenmarg and the cross country’s girl coach is Rebecca. Both the girl’s and boy’s teams practice separately from each other to try to make sure that everyone is safe and socially distanced. Both of the teams are working hard to follow the parameters and are working hard despite a pandemic to consistently train over the summer they have improved dramatically. When I asked one of the players how the season was going for them they said. “It is a season like no other but I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to do sports again. We have all worked hard to get to this point and I am excited to see what happens next”. The track and field team’s coach is named Bill. The Track and field team has worked hard to improve and they are ready for the upcoming season. I asked one of the players on the track and field team about what it is like doing sports in a pandemic and they said. “It is a big challenge but we have all worked together and tremendously hard to get to where we are. I am so thankful for the people who put the season back on and can’t thank them enough for it. It will be a hard season but we are ready for any obstacle in our way”. The cross country team first meet starts on February fifteenth and many are excited to see how it goes.
As of right now, some sports teams are starting training while others are going to start either soon or later. The Girl’s tennis team just started training for the upcoming season. They are working hard and are so excited for the upcoming season. Last season the Girls Tennis team had fantastic team chemistry but didn’t do the best in the form of wins. They are looking forward to the challenge and are looking forward to seeing their improvements from the hard work they are doing. Girls soccer is going to start practicing on February seventeenth. Fortunately, they were able to have their soccer season last season but we hope to see that they can play soccer this season. They are going to work hard and hope to be able to have a season. Lastly, boys basketball is starting back up soon for practicing. They are excited to see it happening again even though a season hasn’t been confirmed they are still going to work hard in spite of it. Many other sports teams are practicing if you want to play a sport, stay safe, have fun and have a great season or practice sessions.
The Claw 