The coronavirus has impacted so many aspects of our daily lives, one of those being extracurricular activities such as sports. With so many restrictions and limitations, most sport seasons have been canceled or postponed; however, there have been a few kids lucky enough to continue participating in their sport during these times. 

Certain club teams have allowed participation since they do not have the liability issues like the schools have. The school districts are liable if anything were to happen to the coaches and players, while the club teams have different protocols such as waivers. These club teams are still taking precautions in order to allow practices and keep their athletes safe. 

“My soccer club is taking many precautions to make sure everyone stays healthy, including wearing a mask at all times, submitting a ‘health check’ the day of each practice, which asks the players to take their temperature and answering questions about their wellness, and there are no more than 30 people allowed on each field at a time,” Tualatin High School junior and member of the Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club Kelsey Kaufman said. 

Other teams in the Portland Metro area are slowly starting to easy back into games with restrictions. 

“Practices are limited to 1 – 1 ½ hours long, and games are just now starting up again on Oct. 17,” Tualatin High School sophomore and member of the Portland City United Soccer Club Remus Repcak said. 

With the limitations on school sports participation, some teams have even decided to enter the club world in order to get athletes back to their sports. The Tualatin High School Cheer Team has split into two sectors in order to allow their athletes’ participation. The high school will still have their sideline team, but their competition team has decided to transition to be an All Star team in order to practice and compete. 

Some sports at Tualatin High School have allowed practices to begin again and more are starting within the next couple weeks, so let’s hope to see our athletes on the fields as soon as possible.