Columbia high school football teams practice in the face of uncertainty
COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)
Columbia's high school football practices look a lot different this year, featuring: masks, social distancing, and no contact.
It's a long list of things for coaches to worry about.
“They don’t really realize, some of them, how important their behavior is going to be moving forward," said Atiyyah Ellison, Battle's football coach.
Ellison said, especially when dealing with kids, it is a lot to keep track of.
"I've been passing out pushups and stuff for people who are too close, just to get them to understand how important this is," he said. "We have to do our part, if they are going to allow us to do this."
If and when the upcoming season will start is still very uncertain.
On Monday, Columbia Public Schools voted to move the first day of school after Labor Day.
While, CPS Athletic Director David Egan said teams will continue with practice through the end of the week, there have been no decisions made beyond that yet.
However, local programs aren't letting the uncertainty affect their preparation.
"I'm not really thinking about decisions that I can't make myself, anyways," Ellison said.
Cedric Alvis, Hickman's football coach, added that his team only has one thing on its mind right now.
"As long as we can practice, I’m a kid in a candy store," he said. "Whether we start September 8, October, August, as long as we can still practice and we can still play, our boys can still be out here in a safe manor, I'm happy."
In fact, Ellison said the later start date, really isn't all that bad.
"It gives us a couple more days to game-plan," he said. "Those first few days that kids start school, they're all lethargic by the end of the day, so it's actually going to help us, kind of, to keep them fresh."
The Hickman Kewpies said they are in support of whatever the district decides.
"I have to stand behind anything that is in the best interest of my players and their families," he said.
Football kicks off in just a few weeks, but both coaches mirrored the same message: they went their guys to get out there safely and do what they love.
"It's not the football per se, it's bringing all these different people together as a family," Ellison said.
After all, sports is really known for one thing.
"Sports bring people together," Alvis said. "They bring communities together, they form relationships, create bonds, and, considering everything that's going on with social justice and everything else, sports is a platform where color doesn't matter. It's the team that you're cheering for."
