In the beginning of the pandemic, many student athletes were optimistic the pause in play would be temporary. A couple of weeks turned into a month, then finally the cancellation of their season before many even began.  Students held out hope over the summer that their fall sports would start with the beginning of a new school year.  During the spring and over the summer students trained and prepared on their own in hopes they would return to play. The IHSA developed guidelines and schedules using the IDPH guidelines and consulted medical professionals to ensure the safety of the student athletes.  Parents resigned to the realization they couldn’t be spectators, but if it meant their child could participate in a sport they loved, it was a sacrifice they would make.   Coaches devised plans and schedules to accommodate social distancing and mask requirements both during practices and competitions. Limited contactless training and practices were scheduled then withdrawn.

Student athletes are impacted by the removal of sports in a multitude of ways.  High school brings many changes and challenges for kids, and student athletes use sports as a way to help reduce stress and control anxiety and depression.  A Canadian study conducted six weeks into the initial lockdown found that 90.5% of student athletes experienced feelings of isolation and disconnection, 79.1% reported having feelings of depression, anxiety, and frustration.

Inactivity, isolation, distance from the academic and athletic community, limited access to athletic coaches, and lack of social support have been shown to cause emotional distress and physiological disorders in student athletes.

Students who excel in their sport are not being provided with the expertise of their coaches to help them continue their athletic careers into college and limiting their exposure for potential scholarships.

Dr. Bill Kendall’s decision to delay the start of fall sports then to postpone fall sports until further notice, has left our student athletes with no season. If fall sports were to resume with the end of remote on October 18th and the fall season ends on October 24, our student athletes would have only six days to train and compete.  This timeline will leave them susceptible to injuries as well as providing them with limited opportunities to compete against their peers before conferences, in some cases, leaving the student athletes with no opportunity to vie for a place to compete at conference.

Additionally, the cancellation of sports until the end of remote learning, not only affects fall sports, it has repercussions for student athletes participating in winter sports as it impacts the twenty contact days for those sports.

We request that Dr. Bill Kendall revisit his decision to basically cancel fall sports.  We urge Dr. Bill Kendall to reconsider the plans that the coaches have diligently devised to meet the guidelines of IHSA, Bremen School District 228, and the IDPH.  Dr. Bill Kendall we have confidence in you to make decisions that not only take into consideration the health effects of the current situation facing our student athletes, but the physical, mental, and emotional toll during this adversity.  Dr. Bill Kendall, we ask that you reinstate sports for the student athletes of Bremen High School District 228.