CHS athletes return to practice following three-week shutdown
Cameron High School athletes practiced for the first time Monday, following a three-week shutdown of all offseason camps and workouts to limit spread of COVID-19 after two student-athletes tested positive.
From sunrise to sunset athletes from all fall sports teams participated in a variety of practices along the half-mile stretch from Dave Goodwin Field to the Cameron Veterans Memorial Golf Course.
“It was good to see who came … I didn’t get to see who was playing until today,” said Alyson Yates, senior outside hitter for the Lady Dragon Volleyball Team. “We had some good numbers. It’s not fun. It’s not bad. We’ll adapt to it, but it will take some time to get used to it.”
Whether on the golf course, the gridiron or the tennis court, athletes began preparing for the upcoming season while simultaneously practicing social distance as much as their sport will allow. Volleyball and soccer participants wore masks throughout their first team workouts and encouraged to bring their own water bottles due to the district-wide COVID-19 policy prohibiting access to drinking fountains. Although limited by COVID-19 regulations, CHS volleyball coach Addie Floyd said it felt amazing working with her players Monday.
“It was amazing. I was counting down to this day. We got to practice a little bit in July until they shut us down,” Floyd said. “It was good to have everyone here. Over the summer (open gyms), we had a three-hour window. Today was the first time we had everybody here. It was good to see everybody and everybody was having fun.”
The shutdown occurred July 17 when two participants of a camp organized by the CHS wrestling team contracted the virus. With camp participants also participating in a variety of other sports and activities, Cameron R-1 School District Superintendent Matt Robinson announced an immediate shutdown of all summer workouts and camps. Last week, the marching band held its preseason camp. With most teams opening the season either in late August or early September, many will begin seeing their first live action in the next few weeks through preseason jamborees.
“We don’t know right now. There is a chance we might not be having a jamboree because a lot of tournaments have been cancelled,” Floyd said. “We’re trying to work something out so we have only one school coming instead of the normal jamboree we would have … We’re taking it day by day. We’re not guaranteed practice tomorrow. We’re not guaranteed to practice next week. We have to take care of ourselves first. We have to wear our masks and social distance.”
