As coronavirus concerns mount, did we cover the last high school sports event of the spring?
The last high school game of the season might have played out in Yolo County on Friday night, under the lights at Clark Field.
A gem of a venue that opened in 1930, Clark Field is supposed to be a social gathering point, a memory-maker for teams and followers right on through the spring. All of this is all on hold now as the country deals with the hovering coronavirus issue, the reality of it and the fear of it.
This baseball game between the visiting Vanden Vikings and the Woodland Wolves was not a joyous occasion. People sensed the finality of the season, the uncertainty of it. By the middle of the seven-inning contest, it was uncomfortably cold. Blankets were more in demand than the toilet paper rolls flying off the shelves in a panic to prepare for who knows what. Even the victorious Vikings wore the expression of defeat as they slowly left the park, heads down.
This season may be over for every prep team across the Sacramento region, perhaps the state. The coronavirus pandemic has no limits on whom it attacks or impacts. It affects young and old. As of Saturday afternoon, the virus known as COVID-19 has infected more than 155,000 people, resulting in 5,800 deaths. It has to be taken seriously. Young people are the least likely to get sick, and some children don’t show symptoms.
School districts have closed across the country to avoid large gatherings. So have prep sporting events and even practice time through early to mid April, though things can change by the hour.
The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, will meet with its 10 section commissioners across the state Tuesday to discuss the status of spring play. These talks will certainly be done with sensitivity to those infected by this mysterious virus, people with real issues at play.
For the CIF and those sections, this is the biggest crisis and challenge any of them have had to deal with. What to do? Allow teams to at least practice so they can remain united, fit and encouraged? Green-light the return of the season sometime in April? Or pull the plug entirely out of health and safety? At the very least, practice time should be consistent. Some districts are allowing it, though most are not.
When professional sports leagues suspend play to enforce social distancing in an effort to deal with the spread of virus, then imagine the concern for school districts, where social gatherings are the very root of education and experiences.
Here’s hoping the CIF and its 10 commissioners allow teams to at least resume practice for goodwill, for good health and for their spirit. And why not suggest that each student-athlete and team become advocates on health – be wise, wash your hands, don’t panic.
If no games or no practices, what are teenagers to do? Crawl into bunkers that were constructed during the 1950s panic of the fear of nuclear war? Are they to go to a park, a mall, a movie? Are those not all social gatherings?
During the game at Clark Field, longtime public address voice Gary Traynham reminded the crowd that there will be no more student activities in the district and for Woodland through at least April 20. The crowd response was stunned silence. Many knew of this already, but when the man known as “Mr. Woodland” for his decades of sports editor work at the Woodland Daily Democrat says it, it starts to sink in. Traynham later said on the microphone as the game ended, “We now move into an uncertain future. Everyone be safe.”
The coach’s role
Joe Whitehead feels for his student-athletes. He is the Woodland baseball coach, a man who grew up on Clark Field playing ball, making friends for a lifetime.
He told his attentive team, collectively taking a knee in right field, “If this is it for you seniors, I’m sorry. I hope this isn’t it. We have to expect anything. Keep your fingers crossed. Focus on life and what life is worth. You are my kids. I invest as much into you as you do into each other and me. Be safe out there. Be smart out there.”
Whitehead added a moment later as his team dispersed, “It’s just heartbreaking. It’s not an optimistic view of what might happen. It’s scary stuff. People are dying from this.”
Added Woodland athletic director Amanda Lopez, “It’s devastating for these kids, for all of us. Everything is up in the air when dealing with an emergency like this.”
Woodland golf coach Mike Monk said, “It’s my job to help make sports fun and rewarding. We don’t have that right now. Guys are hurting. I tell them to never take anything for granted.”
Softball view
Kira McKechnie can relate to being a leader stuck in a holding pattern, helpless when her players look to her for optimism and guidance.
She is the first-year softball coach at Christian Brothers and she takes all of this deeply personal. McKechnie was a multi-sport Falcon who played softball on scholarship at Fresno State and UTEP. In her first season coaching, McKechnie knew no protocol for an issue that has no such luxury.
“How do I tell my kids that it’s going to be OK when we really don’t know if the season will return or what will happen?” McKechnie said. “The season is being taken away and we understand why. But it hurts. It’s heartbreaking.”
The Falcons played Vista del Lago in a Capital Athletic League opener Thursday. The coach told her troops before the game as college and professional sports were closing down by the hour, “For you seniors, this could be your last game, and it hurts to say that.”
Christian Brothers on Friday suspended all sports seasons and practices and closed campus, just like a flood of others around it. No practice means no in-person contact. Now, suddenly, McKechnie is wondering how to coach from afar.
“A large part of high school sports is creating bonds, making memories, being together,” she said. “I told all the girls to take care of themselves, to wash hands, to stop shaking hands, to stop hugging people – anything to do your part. I see the pictures girls post on social media of memories and it hurts my hurt. They may not be together as a team for a month, maybe longer.
“I’ll do my part in checking in with my players every couple of days, making sure they’re all good, keeping in touch and holding connections.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 4:00 AM.