With the return back to high school for many students everywhere, there are many questions to be asked about what the new Covid-19 setup will do to your “high school experience”. What is school without your lunch with friends, theater productions, and football games? Aside from not being able to see your friends every day, the biggest difference is that, for the majority of students, classes are being moved online. With this, some big questions many students had early on were, “What about the athletes? What will physical education classes be like?” 

We asked some health students, specifically those in weight-training, what their experience has been like the first three weeks of school. Since this is the first time school is being held completely online, many students and teachers are still trying to figure out the best way to approach virtual learning. When asked about setbacks to virtual exercise, Feehan Tuttle, a student in weight-training, said, “[One setback is] the general lack of instruction, especially one-on-one instruction, that comes with virtual learning.” Without the necessary equipment for the class, weight-training teachers have primarily been having their students download an app and follow the workouts to track progress from behind a screen. However, “one thing is staying consistent,” says Neel Singh, another weight-training student. “The dedication of the teacher, Coach McKenzie, to make sure all of the students are still learning and growing at home.”

As for Enloe Sports, as well as outside leagues, there is still some confusion around what will happen. The lack of safety precautions in some instances has been a cause of concern. “It is impossible to distance yourself in an actual soccer game. So yeah, it’s unsafe,” says Aliya Hosfelt, an Enloe Freshman who is on the fence about attending her rec team. Aliya’s friend Liona Stebbins, who attends the same rec league, has decided not to attend due to similar concerns. She told us her family was against her attending, explaining, “They don’t want [me to attend] because we have high-risk family.” For those who decide not to attend, it’s yet another social activity missed out on because of the pandemic. “I enjoy making friendships with people out of my social circle and people I normally wouldn’t talk to if it weren’t for soccer,” Aliya says. “My team was what made soccer the most fun,” adds Liona. Others like Justin Fraizer, a junior at Enloe, say, “If there are precautions taken before attending a sporting event, then we would love to attend.”

Even with the unknown future for athletes at Enloe, many are still working hard to train and stay fit for their upcoming season. Many students have been relying on themselves to stay fit, even if it is not always easy. Kyra Grimes of Enloe’s women’s soccer team says, “[Staying fit] has definitely been a struggle as my season has started – I’ve gone back to my loves Chloe Ting and MadFit.” Others, like Kyle Lin, a member of the men’s soccer team at Enloe, “have been participating in online workouts where our trainer, James, has been releasing a workout schedule for us to follow while at home.”

Whether you are a health student, coach, or someone who was excited to try out for a team this year, nobody can deny the virus has reinvented the way high schools are run, Enloe being no exception. Adapting to the new circumstance with a positive mindset is all there is to do to ensure this year will not disappoint our Enloe Athletes.