With concerns over the spread of COVID-19, changes have been made to this year’s wrestling season. On January 5th, an announcement was made disclosing the accommodations that would be applied. Students are now working to figure out how they plan on moving forward. 

“As a team, we were very disappointed but not surprised,” Anthony Schmidt (11) said. “Our team saw this as an opportunity to improve.” 

Adjustments such as wearing face masks off the mat and fewer people advancing into regional and state tournaments are being made in hopes of preventing COVID from spreading anymore. 

“Having fewer wrestlers and people in general at events paired with a shortened season would definitely help reduce the spread of the virus in such a close contact sport,” Sebastian Diaz (11) said. 

Questions about how effective or practical these precautions may be have been brought up. With a sport that overlooks personal space, there’s only so much that can be done. 

“We have trouble keeping protective headgear on during matches,” Schmidt said. “Let alone a fabric mask.”

Although many are looking for the silver lining in this situation, the disappointment is still clear to see. 

“It’s my first year of wrestling,” Barrett Keith (12) said. “So it sucks that the season got delayed and I didn’t get to experience the full season.”