Coaching Through COVID

First, I am grateful that we got to have a season. I know that our high school was lucky as many schools throughout our state were unable to have any kind of season. And while we weren't able to have a normal season, it was the kind of year that reminded me just how important school competitive sports really are.

The challenge of being a coach in the middle of the COVID season was that not only were you trying to get your team better but now you have a whole new layer of complexities to just be able to practice and play games. Masks, disinfectants, protocols... so many protocols, rule changes, fear, anxiety, and constant disruption.

The great thing about all of that is that kids learned to adapt. So did families, parents, and yes, even us coaches.

So what was it like? Would I do it again? What were the real challenges and lessons learned?

The biggest realization of just how important having a season was going to be came during the first week of tryouts. The thing about school sports that is different than travel sports, is that school sports encourage a group that aren't the super athletes to want to compete and be on a team to represent their community and family. It was this group that initially shocked me.

First off, tryouts were low in number. For two teams we barely got 24 kids to come out. And when I got to see the JV kids trying out, the realization of what this pandemic had done over the last nine months hit hard. Kids that used to be in good shape were now over weight. And not just 5-10 lbs over weight. In some cases literally 20-30 lbs had been gained. It was heartbreaking. As a coach we now had another challenge in figuring out how we were going to prepare the kids to play safely.

Instead of starting in November, we started the second week of December and planned for what we hoped good be a 12-14 game season during a heavily cut season. We separated the groups and showed up with our protocol questions, masked, and ready to try and make something happen.

The funny thing is that our school was among the first to play a game in the state of Virginia. It actually fell on my birthday against one of our school rivals. With very few fans allowed to come, how were we going to make this game feel special? Playing in front of your friends and family are part of what makes playing for your school so different.

Out team was given fifteen tickets. With eleven players, that meant multiple parents were not going to be able to even go to the game. And for away games, no tickets.

So as a coach I did a little brainstorming with my business partner and decided that we would figure out how to live broadcast the games. We ended up figuring out how to put on a scoreboard and even pulled together a setup that would not be dependent on a school wifi systems (even if you can get on some networks, many block Facebook which is where we decided to stream the games.)

So with the help of a few key parents, we adjusted. We were able to stream all ten (yeah, we didn't quite make our goal of potential games) of our varsity games and all eight of our JV games. Some getting over 4,000 views.

The most notable rule change was that they got rid of the jump ball. The visiting team automatically got the ball to start each game and a coin toss would determine the overtime decision. I know there was initially some logic to this decision although it honestly was something I didn't worry about. After all, how many games are won on the first possession of the game?

The biggest distraction to the season ended up being the mandated protocols that needed to be followed when someone tested positive for COVID. Just playing against a team that had a kid test positive within 48 hours of playing you would automatically shut you down for two weeks. It ended up happening to both of our teams. It cost both teams five games that we could have played.

What was hardest though was you went from seeing everyone for several hours every day to not being able to see anyone. Self quarantine for a week and then stay away from everyone for another week. During that time we had one kid get some flu like symptoms that lasted for a day or two and the rest never showed any signs of illness.

In the end, it was about the kids. I heard many coaches complain and some even admit that they wished they hadn't played this season at all given how everything went. For me, I'll cherish every moment I got with those kids. The good times, the bad times, the losses, the wins... it is all part of being on a team together.

And to my seniors... I will always try and fight to play one more game for them. Life is fast and evolving. Before you know it you are graduating and you miss the feeling of being on a team.

We weren't the best team this year, but we did improve from last year. We had two kids get 2nd team all region and one get honorable mention. We won our first region game in several years and as both players and coach, we learned a ton.

I hope this is the one and only COVID season. But I will forever be grateful for being able to play in the COVID season and from the many opportunities it gave to help me become a better person.

Basketball, FeaturedGarrett RossMarch 26, 2021