Coronavirus Volleyball
COVID has changed sports, but how much?
By: Rachel B Mannix, reporter
COVID has changed sports, but how much?
By: Rachel B Mannix, reporter
I’ve played volleyball since I was in third grade, competitively since sixth. It’s safe to say that I love this sport and so I was reasonably upset when the season was originally cancelled in the fall of 2020. It was very exciting, however, when we got the okay from the school board to begin Fall II sports in March. Although we were happy, we were also curious. What would it be like? Would we have spectators at our matches? How would practices work? All these questions flitted through our heads, but we quickly found out once practices began.
Tryouts
Tryouts were not too different from past years. Some of the differences, like having the mile run cut out, were due to the weather, but others were to mitigate the possible spread of germs (or COVID). We were divided into groups based on what position we were trying out for on the first day, and then by varsity and JV the second day. We still had many of the physical fitness tests, but none of the weight lifting that we usually would. When playing, we had to make sure to sanitize the volleyballs and our hands regularly.
Practices
One big difference this year was that only 12 people could make varsity and 12 on JV. Usually varsity would have 13 girls and JV would too. This allows some space for possible injuries or conflicts. Having 12 people meant that we would always be playing six on six, like a normal volleyball game, but we wouldn’t have the extra “wiggle room” if someone got hurt or quarantined.
Practices themselves don’t feel very different because we are able to do many of the same drills. We are, however, divided into small groups of three, called pods, and usually work with one other pod (which stays the same, for the most part) to have a team of six. We decided to name our pods so that our teams would have names. Currently the two teams are the Dragon Committee and Queen Skeezas. We do have to sanitize quite often, wear masks and we wipe down the volleyballs at the beginning of practice. At the beginning of practice we also fill out a Google Form to make sure we aren’t experiencing any symptoms or have been in contact with anyone who has possibly been exposed. The final difference would be that the players do not set up the nets, but rather the coaches do. This helps mitigate the possible spread of the virus.
Games
Games are definitely different this year. For starters, we can have no spectators. For a sport that’s full of yelling it makes it very quiet, and sometimes that makes it difficult to get a lot of energy. Cheering on the bench becomes quite a bit more important when you can’t have spectators doing it. Next, we always stay on the same side of the court. Usually we would switch every set, but not switching again reduces contact and the spread of germs. Before the game, Varsity and JV ride the bus at separate times so often we can’t see each other’s games, unless they’re home. This is due to the rule that people have to sit one to a seat on a bus, which helps keep everyone safe. The pre-game routine is notably different than in past years. Usually, after Varsity warms up, the national anthem is played, players’ names are read off and we shake hands with the other team (which happens after the game as well). Now, we just start the game. After, we do line up and say good game but obviously without the high-fives. Finally, we are playing the same teams more than twice and are not playing some teams, like Gloversville, Broadalbin, Scotia-Glenville, and Amsterdam, at all. Besides all that, the games themselves don’t feel too different.
Record (so far)
3/18/21 - @ Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
3/22/21 - South Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
3/30/21 - Schuylerville - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/8/21 - @ South Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-1.
4/12/21 - Hudson Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/15/21 - @ Schuylerville - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/16/21 - Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
5 games left…
3/18/21 - @ Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
3/22/21 - South Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
3/30/21 - Schuylerville - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/8/21 - @ South Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-1.
4/12/21 - Hudson Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/15/21 - @ Schuylerville - Queensbury won, 3-0.
4/16/21 - Glens Falls - Queensbury won, 3-0.
5 games left…