Students from various school districts have held multiple rallies over the past couple months as part of the Let Them Play CA movement, which is in favor of lifting restrictions on youth sports for the upcoming spring season.
At the movement’s most notable events, one rally held in Rocklin mid-January and another at the State Capitol in early February, young athletes spoke out about their experiences without athletics this school year. Some shared stories of how no longer playing has affected their mental health and relationships with substances.
COVID-19 has especially affected athletes who are seniors this year. Many were relying on their final year of high school athletics for achieving college scholarships and other opportunities that the pandemic has taken from them.
CBS Sacramento reports that over 10,000 signatures and letters from student athletes were delivered to Governor Gavin Newsom’s office at the Capitol, pleading him and members of legislature to lift the restrictions on youth sports.
State guidelines stated that each needs to have a low enough rate of COVID-19 cases for sports to begin practices, and many students and parents turned to their districts as well.
“Understandably, thousands of athletes across the country are anxious to return to their respective sports. I feel that if handled correctly, our much anticipated sports season can return safely,” stated Calix Ho, a McClatchy senior and player on the mens’ volleyball team.
With glimpses of potentially returning to school, and now with the return to sports, Ho, other student athletes, and other students in general have concerns on how the beginnings of returning to “normal” will go, especially for high schoolers.
Images of the rallies depict students wearing their masks incorrectly and not following social-distancing mandates. This raises questions of how seriously students will take COVID guidelines when returning to practices, and potentially even to school.
“The problem is the high school students, not the district. Our district can set as many guidelines as they want. My main concern would be if high school students would uphold and respect these guidelines when allowed to return,” said Ho.
On Tuesday March 2, Sacramento County’s rate of COVID-19 cases dropped low enough for students to be able to return to their respective sports and begin practices and training, for now.