The middle-school track season has been moved to the fall rather than the spring. 

“It was done because of Covid-19,” Coach Mike Drake said. “Basketball is played in an environment where transmission is more likely than with track, so they wanted to switch seasons to give more time for things to calm down before starting basketball.” 

Despite the seasonal switch to the fall, the coaches have already planned out the meets.

“There will be four meets, one on a Friday and the other three on Mondays, and a championship meet on a Thursday,” Drake said.

Some students are struggling to be on the track team because it collides with their normal fall sport, but Coach Melissa Landmesser is working with those students.

“We are just encouraging our athletes to attend as many practices as possible along with the meets,” Landmesser said.

COVID-19 is also affecting the number of students joining the team.

“I’m sure some families are reluctant to have their children participate and that will probably reduce our numbers a bit,” Drake said.

The coaches have had to adapt their normal practice routines.

“At first I was overwhelmed with the idea of starting so quickly plus having to take their temperatures etcetera. But it is going really well. We [coaches] have worked out a good system for all the new rules we have to enforce,” Landmesser said.

Rather than having a negative outlook on the seasonal change, Landmesser looks at the bright side.

“In terms of times for actual races, I am very curious to see if it is affected by fall versus spring,” she said.  “It seems cooler right now which is great.” 

By Emily Oliver