Jun. 26—After confronting the most challenging dilemma of their careers, high school athletic directors emerged from the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic with renewed resolve and appreciation for the important role that sports play in the lives of young people.
When the 2020 winter tournaments and spring sports were canceled, area athletic directors came together to do whatever they could to ensure the 2021 seniors would not endure the same fate.
“Everyone in this profession and at each school district in the state wanted one thing, no matter what the obstacles were, and that was the ability to have our student-athletes compete,” Woodmore AD Steve Barr said. “And, most everyone found a way to make that happen despite all the obstacles put in front of us.”
Longtime Lake athletic director Dave Shaffer compared the challenges of the coronavirus to that of the biggest calamity to hit his district — a tornado that leveled several school buildings, the gym, and football stadium 11 years ago.
“I’m not sure which was the most challenging, the 2010 tornado or the 2020 pandemic,” Shaffer said. “Both were equally challenging times. With the tornado, we knew what our next steps were and had a schedule to follow. After two years, our campus was whole again. With the pandemic, the uncertainty from day to day made it very challenging to know what to expect with planning. It was frustrating for the kids and coaches not knowing if they would even have a season.”
Northern Lakes League commissioner Richard Browne said the ADs in his league collaborated to resolve the unparalleled situations.
“Our athletic directors have always been a close group that can handle any issues that arise. But, this past year brought us even closer together,” Browne said. “After losing an entire spring sports season, we were reminded how important high school sports are to a lot of people. It reinforces the fact that all the hard work that goes into the planning and execution of each sports season is worth all of the time and effort.”
Ottawa Hills AD Tammy Talmage called the pandemic challenging emotionally and physically.
“I think the fear of the unknown was the hardest,” Talmage said. “Trying to navigate what was recommended and what was required to do to have a fall season was stressful. Having a whole spring season canceled was hard for the athletes and coaches, plus the unknown of the fall season was added stress.”
Yet, fall sports resumed — under social distancing guidelines that impacted the games on and off the field — followed by winter and spring seasons that endured some setbacks but ultimately ended in league and state champions being crowned.
“This proved that we can make it through anything,” Talmage said. “I think athletes, coaches, and parents have a stronger appreciation of athletics, and that it is a privilege to be a part of a team.”
Eastwood AD Jeff Hill estimated that he was putting in 12-plus hour days.
“Some nights it was more if we would have a sudden situation where a player tested positive and we had to shut down an entire team,” Hill said. “I hope the overall message to athletes and their parents is to never take anything for granted and to appreciate the opportunities that we get in life.”
Bedford AD Mark German said he was impressed with how his community came together.
“When bad things happen, and they do, they always come together for the good of the whole,” German said. “There will always be unknowns. However, after what we have been through, we feel as if we can handle anything.”
Unprecedented challenges
According to local administrators, among the most significant hurdles during the pandemic were keeping participants safe, adjusting schedules, developing safety protocols, determining seating capacities, and managing spectator attendance.
Hill said officials lacked overall, consistent guidance from the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
“Many times, we were having to come up with solutions where we had to use our best judgment and common sense to figure out the best course of action,” Hill said.
The OHSAA had compliance officers who would attend events to ensure requirements were correctly followed.
Snyder said a lack of consistent direction from local, county, and state health officials was a significant issue. The NLL has schools from three counties (Henry, Wood, and Lucas), and each had its own set of guidelines.
“Some Lucas county schools played during the shutdown, some did not,” Snyder said. “It was the Wild West, with some having little to no restrictions and some being completely shut down.”
Games often would be scheduled, canceled, rescheduled, and postponed again. In the fall, attendance was limited to immediate family members. Stadiums and gyms were set up with stickers and other markers to designate six feet of separation.
“I would cringe when players would hug after a great play,” Talmage said. “I felt so bad. That is what sports is all about, celebrating something.”
Shaffer said the wearing of masks and staying apart from each other were counterintuitive to the athletic experience.
“The typical camaraderie was not there,” he said. “Limited attendance meant only the kids’ parents could attend, and their classmates could not fill the student section to cheer them on.”
Browne said the NLL operated on a day-to-day mode.
“You did not know what was going to pop up unexpectedly,” he said. “During a typical year, we are focusing on future seasons and planning. There were so many daily issues that the athletic directors had to focus on, it was difficult to look forward.”
Lasting impact
Many senior winter athletes in 2020 lost once-in-a-lifetime chances to win state titles that had been long sought with countless hours of preparation. Some of those same seniors then lost their entire spring seasons.
“I think it was most difficult on coaches and athletes in the spring sports in 2020,” Barr said. “When the pandemic started, I think most of us thought there would be some sort of spring 2020 season and, as the days progressed, it became more and more apparent the season was not going to happen.”
Talmage said the athletes and coaches who lost their seasons felt empty.
“They just wanted to play,” she said. “For fall and winter sports, I think our coaches did a great job navigating things with masks and social distancing. I think the athletes were resilient.”
Snyder said the uncertainty was tremendously difficult on the coaches and athletes at AW.
“Coaches encountered areas they could never have been trained or prepared for,” he said. “There is not a playbook for a pandemic. Coaching your team came second. It was a whole new job and the burnout encountered by coaches was very real.”
Northwood athletic director Ken James said his coaches and athletes pulled together.
“It was quite difficult, but the alternative of not having a season would have been worse,” James said.
Lessons learned
Hill said the pandemic brought out the best in the athletic administrators because it put them in situations where things would only work if they all pulled together.
“This is going to sound self-serving, but many times the work of athletic directors goes unnoticed unless something negative happens at a sporting event,” Hill said. “There had to be a level of trust in making sure that other schools were following protocols and not playing kids who were in doubt with a potential infection. I think that the pandemic brought us as athletic directors closer together because COVID was the great equalizer.”
Shaffer said communication became key.
“We had to communicate much more than usual [due to] individual school protocols, reduced spectator capacities, and rescheduled contests,” he said.
Snyder said much of that communication occurred through virtual meetings.
“These meetings were brainstorming and think tank sessions where we learned what other schools were doing to get through this awful time. Few good things came out of COVID. However, I have never worked more closely with so many fellow athletic directors,” Snyder said.
Talmage said the ADs bouncing ideas off each other was critical.
“We worked as a group to develop league guidelines,” she said. “I think that we all really respected what the other one was going through. No one wanted to have to cancel a game or tell an AD that both teams had to quarantine, but we did it.”
Looking forward
James said although the worst appears to be over, the coronavirus is still out there. He said administrators feel better prepared.
“Having survived last year’s difficulties provides us with some strategies to deal with whatever this year may bring,” he said.
Shaffer said ADs have learned more efficient ways to run their departments, such as adjustments for special events and zoom meetings.
“I feel like fall could be a normal season, but there may be some unknowns for the winter as people congregate inside again,” Shaffer said. “The pandemic is not over, and the uncertainty of some things may arise again in the winter. Time will tell and we’ll react accordingly.”
Barr said that while things are obviously moving in the right direction, he is still wary.
“Until we get an ‘all clear’ from the medical community, I will always have a very small part of me that still feels that we are not out of the woods yet,” Barr said.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has encouraged all student-athletes to be vaccinated, but there is no official requirement by the OHSAA.
“We are very hopeful that COVID will not be an issue this fall,” Snyder said. “However, for students who are not vaccinated — quarantining will still be necessary. We will still need to be and will be careful. But it does feel incredible to talk about COVID in the past tense.”
Talmage said she had been planning on a “normal fall” with unlimited fans, no masks, or social distancing.
“However, I have read that there are concerns with younger people not getting vaccinated and that could impact sports in the fall,” she said. “I am planning for ‘normal’ but ready for ‘not normal.'”
James said local officials developed an even better sense of the importance of high school athletics, not just to the players and coaches but to the communities as well.
“Live every day to the fullest and appreciate and enjoy what you are getting the opportunity to do,” he said.