By Lily Snow, Staff Writer
Packed stands and loud cheers are things that First Flight athletes are often familiar with; however, with fall and some winter sports happening in North Carolina, they are nowhere to be found. With limited numbers of fans and seasons at different times, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) found ways to make sports happen during the pandemic.
There are many differences between this year’s sports schedule and the schedule in years past. From football not starting until February to indoor track being taken out all together, sports seasons will have a different feel for all athletes. But with seasons being shortened, many athletes are glad that they are going to have a season after all.
“I am so upset that the season is shorter, but I wouldn’t know what else to do with the conditions,” junior Liz Clagett said.
Clagett is a busy athlete, playing lacrosse, volleyball and basketball. However, this year’s sport schedule has caused overlapping of fall, winter and spring sports, which may not allow her to be able to play all of them.
“The schedule is very difficult to deal with because I can’t play all the sports I would usually play, which is very hard for me because I love all the sports and it was so hard to choose between,” Clagett said.
Senior Bella Schweitzer is in the same boat playing lacrosse, volleyball and basketball during the normal year, but with the overlapping seasons she has to pick between them.
“I can’t play volleyball this year, and I might have to choose between lacrosse and basketball as well,” Schweitzer said.
From the court to the pool, an unusual swim season greeted the FFHS swimmers. They had just a few two-team meets against Manteo at the Outer Banks Family YMCA pool and compete in the conference championship meets Saturday in Elizabeth City, with some individuals then going on to regionals and attempting to qualify for the state meet.
“It does suck that they’re shorter, but hopefully we’ll start meets right away to balance that out,” sophomore Brodie Nash said of the season.
Swim also has their fair share of regulations, such as limits on the number of people in each lane, and the number of people in the building.
Swim coach Dave Tonnesen knows that even with new regulations, the team deep down will be the same: “Some things will stay the same: We are going to have a great season, we’re going to be the best prepared team in the water and outside the water as far as physically fit, and we will be swimming. That’s what staying the same. Pretty much everything else is going to be different.”
Another season that is well underway is cross country. Being an outdoor, non-contact sport, cross country has fewer regulations than sports that are held inside having regulations which include spreading the teams out at the start more and separating where the teams go after they finish.
“There’s a lot more restrictions on what we are able to do as a team,” head cross country coach Chad Motz said. “I know in the past the team has traveled to invitationals to try to get more competition.”
Motz has high hopes for both teams, despite the challenges that come with having less competition: “Hopefully our men and our women will be competing for a top-three spot in the state.”
Junior Mya Salch normally would run indoor and outdoor track, and said she was considering playing on the tennis team again, but this year not only do the outdoor track and tennis overlap entirely, but indoor track is not on the schedule.
“Indoor track is definitely my favorite. I hate that indoor is not happening this year. In my opinion I would rather have indoor than outdoor,” Salch said.
She normally would spend most of the year running track in one form or another, but this year it has been cut down to one shortened season, only a few weeks.
“I hate that the sports this year are cut down shorter. I love the time I spend with the track team and I hate that it will not be for as long this year. I also hate it for the seniors. They do not have a lot of time left with their teams,” Salch said.
Sophomore Lily Snow can be reached at 23snowsi24@daretolearn.org.
