On October 19, the first official basketball practice for the Middle School begins, and coaches are diligently preparing for the season. Many students just miss playing sports. Due to COVID-19, many sports teams have closed down, so students aren’t able to play. The school is giving the students the chance to play basketball and represent their school. 

Sports like basketball can pose many risks. 8th grader Julia Gibney explains “In the basketball Zoom meeting I joined, the coaches said that a lot of the time we wouldn’t have masks on and we would be breathing in people’s faces, and that worries me a little, but I think that people should play their sport.” For many middle school students, like Gibney, they understand that basketball poses a number of risk factors: contracting the virus from people with no masks on, contracting it from touching a ball that many others have already touched, and possibly getting it from people guarding or standing next to them.

Playing in a safe environment is needed when playing basketball. Westminster coaches, like Girls Basketball Head Coach Katie Argall, take COVID-19 protocols seriously. For instance, coaches hold practices right after school to prevent students from wandering through the buildings. To lessen the chances and number of exposures, players will not scrimmage, teams will not mix, and the rules have been adjusted to reduce physical contact. The school has even provided more basketballs for the students to play with. Moreover, winter sports will play a shortened season with fewer games. Coaches are eliminating weekday games and trying to have most of the games on weekends. Parents will have to drive their kids to the game and students won’t be allowed to sit on the bus. The benches will be switched and a limited amount of family will be allowed to games. Parents can watch the games, not friends. Westminster can only play against teams with the same policies. Middle School Green Team basketball coach Daria Dillard explains “we are constantly meeting up with each other and evaluating the students and staff to make this the best possible environment for everyone.” Overall the school has done a splendid job of making basketball safe for all students and coaches.