How Riverdale Winter Sports Teams Have Adapted to the Pandemic
Riverdale swim team practices in person during the pandemic
Aidan Friedsam / Riverdale Review
Sports build a sense of belonging and togetherness. The Covid-19 pandemic, along with the social distancing and separation required to combat it, has undoubtedly taken a toll on Riverdale winter sports. Mr. John Pizzi, head of the athletic department, firmly stated that “there will be no in-person games this winter season.”
The athletic department has also taken many measures to ensure the safety of Riverdale’s student-athletes. According to Mr. Pizzi, a maximum of 12 masked athletes, who don’t share equipment, are allowed to participate in practices as long as they remain twelve feet apart. Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach Nick Walsh explained that members of team sports such as basketball are separated into 6 ft-by-6ft squares, where they hone their individual skills instead of playing together in a big group. Each student athlete works on ball-handling, shooting, and general conditioning in their own square.
More individually-centered sports can navigate the barriers induced by Covid-19 a bit easier. In squash, for example, players don’t engage in as much physical contact, and only two squash players play at the same time. Sophomore Rohan Pahwa, a nationally ranked squash player, noted that although he only practices with his fellow tenth graders twice a week, he is able to compete with them. Sophomore Lawrence Ohmes explained that fencing, however, hasn’t had an in-person practice “in several weeks,” and sophomore Jack Henry, another fencer, said that he hasn’t been able to spar much this season either.
As a result, many Riverdale athletes acknowledged that team chemistry has certainly taken a hit. Coach Walsh admits that he does “miss the camaraderie” that develops in a basketball team, a sense of togetherness that previously flourished through players’ physical reliance on each other. To make matters worse, Riverdale’s hybrid schedule has prevented more than two grades from being on campus at the same time, and some students are regularly remote. Unfortunately, this results in some team practices feeling disjointed since cross-grade teammates can’t practice together regularly.
On the bright side, Mr. Pizzi explained that “we have worked to provide students with an experience that gives some sense of normalcy and provide an outlet for them to still be a part of their team, which can all be done on Zoom.” Players partaking in winter sports gather for team Zoom sessions on Mondays, where, instead of practicing, they talk to each other and play games. Video calls offer great comfort for many student-athletes through more relaxed conversation. Mr. Walsh remarked that his captains greatly appreciate these Zoom meetings. Ohmes echoed this sentiment: “We play Among Us [a video game] in our team Zoom, and it’s a way to decompress and have fun with the other people on the team.”
Many student-athletes have similar goals to those they had last season. Pahwa remarked, “Just like last season, I always just want to get better and make my teammates better.” Ohmes also said “[he] wants to improve and have fun.”
However, Mr. Pizzi is optimistic about spring sports: “I’m hopeful that we can offer more this spring for all of our athletes--fall, winter, and spring.” Mr. Pizzi noted that in order to offer a somewhat normal sports experience Riverdale must allow athletes from different grades on campus to play together, as they have done in the past. His cautiousness reminds us that even though the world has yet to return to normal, Riverdale winter sports have adjusted admirably to the pandemic.
