Frankenmuth

T he Fall high school sports seasons were marked with frustration, perseverance, and ultimately, success with completion. Our winter teams have recently been permitted to resume competition. The atmosphere is different in our indoor sporting venues with fewer fans and muffled cheers. But our athletes continue to make the necessary sacrifices to play at a high level. Contact and non-contact sports alike are now competing with some obvious changes and other behind- the-scenes variations. Hand sanitizer is in plentiful supply. Masks are required in most sports, even during intense activity. You may even notice subtle changes like elimination of the "jump ball" to start a basketball game. For competitive cheer, instead of high toss and catch maneuvers, more subdued lifts and individual tumbling sets will be the standard. What you may not notice is the amount of COVID-19 antigen rapid testing being done. This form of testing was required for football playoffs in the fall and continues with our wrestling team (the only winter sport requiring negative tests to participate). An agreement between the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) allowed wrestling to compete without masks if the athletes are tested. This means that the wrestler can remove their mask as they enter the mat to compete at meets, but must be worn at all other times. Mask wearing during intense activity is perhaps the biggest challenge for our winter athletes. Other sports pursued the possibility of weekly testing instead of wearing a mask while competing, like wrestling. This brought up some challenges to schools, especially the advantage of one unmasked team playing a masked opponent. The final decision by the MDHHS was to require masks at all times for all other contact sports, even if they participate in the testing program provided by the state. Weekly testing can be stressful. Thankfully, the antigen rapid tests used for wrestling are the same from the fall. Many of our wrestlers are football players, so they are able to help their current teammates with questions or anxieties that come with testing on a regular basis. The MDHHS had many educational requirements for participating schools when preparing for the testing program. Participating schools received Zoom instruction demonstrating best practices for testing. Tests can be performed by the athletes themselves with supervision and direction. Like most changes brought about by the pandemic, the new protocols for student athletes are not convenient or ideal, but your Eagle teams will continue to do "Whatever It Takes" to represent their school and community. We await spring sport guidance soon, hoping that our outdoor venues can accommodate fans spaced apart in the fresh air watching athletes compete as normally as possible. WTEVER IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHALLENGES FOR FRANKENMUTH ATHLETES. DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS, AND NEW PROTOCOLS HAVE BEEN AN ADDED ADVERSITY, BUT OUR STUDENTS ARE STILL WILLING TO DO "WHATEVER IT TAKES" TO COMPETE SAFELY AND ACCOMPLISH THEIR GOALS. TAK More Information about Antigen Testing 8

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