Since the start of the school year, Holyoke High has made use of remote learning with virtual Zoom classes, digital assignments, and updated schedules; and it looks as though the school will continue on in this way for the foreseeable future. 

With these changes, the school year has been admittedly a little rocky, and pursuing education from home has only added to the lack of normalcy. Thankfully, the fall sports season at Holyoke High provided a much desired opportunity for students to get out of the house and onto the field. However, the already delayed season was cut short by Holyoke’s drop into the red zone. And with Holyoke still in the red zone, the winter sports season is uncertain to say the least.

Talking with the Holyoke High School’s Director of Athletics, Melanie Martin, has shed some light on the situation. 

Similar precautions to the fall season will be taken to ensure the safety of both students and staff. Students will likely be expected to wear masks, bring their own hand sanitizer, follow both school and state guidelines, and fill out personal responsibility forms. Daily COVID check-ins and bus seating charts are to be expected. The school locker rooms will not be available, and students are expected to show up for practice prepared. Furthermore, fan capacity will likely be limited, as the fall season had initially capped admission rates at forty to fifty people. 

However, if Holyoke remains in the red, there will be no season to apply safety measures to. At the moment, it is required that Holyoke maintain a yellow status for three consecutive weeks before the winter season can begin. This has led to a delay in the season, which was intended to start this past Monday, November 30th. The tentative start of the season is set to January 4th, though indoor track is said to be on hold until late February, and cheer and wrestling have been moved to the spring.

Because of lost time, coaches are urging students to self-condition and prepare for the season at home. “If you’re wanting to do a winter sport, do sign-ups, do home conditioning, do home workouts… we need kids to come in shape,” said Director of Athletics Melanie Martin. 

Despite the challenges the winter season poses, options are being discussed with the Board of Health to get things back on track. Said Martin,“Our kids are just such great leaders and they get a lot of great growth out of sports.” 

Students are encouraged to reach out to the school with any questions or concerns surrounding the winter sports season.