When Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) initially shut down athletics in March of 2020, no one could have seen what was to come. After all, how could any athlete predict that their season would be taken away from them? For MCPS student athletes, that was the unfortunate reality. With the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic keeping them off the field for over a year, it would not be until March of 2021 that athletes could return to play, for drastically abbreviated seasons. The wait for a return to normalcy in athletics has been long and difficult.
Now, that wait is finally over. Players are retaking the field, and fans are filling the bleachers yet again as the 2021 fall sports season gets underway. However, as excitement about fall sports has circulated throughout the county, so has the Delta variant, a new and more dangerous strain of the novel disease that canceled sports seasons in the first place.
The entire nation, including Montgomery County, has seen a troubling surge in COVID-19 cases, which could be a threat to future sports seasons if it continues to worsen. To protect athletes and avoid outbreaks, MCPS has decided to act. On Sept. 10, the MCPS Board of Education issued a new vaccine mandate for winter and spring athletes. Beginning Nov. 15, all student athletes will need proof of full vaccination to play and practice, with exemptions only for medical reasons. With sports seasons fast approaching, MCPS feels that this mandate is necessary to keep athletes on the field.
“Vaccinations play a critical role in supporting a safe environment for our student athletes, both in the classroom and the realm of competition,” the MCPS Athletics Department wrote. “In addition to protecting individuals and teams, vaccinations minimize interruptions to in-person learning and program activities.”
Although many Montgomery County residents above the age of 12 are already fully vaccinated, this mandate affects every student athlete in the county. An outbreak between unvaccinated players could potentially shut down an entire season, for multiple teams. After losing his entire baseball season in 2020, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School junior Eli Wortman doesn’t want to risk it happening again.
“I think the new mandate is a step in the right direction,” he said. “The last thing we want is to lose our season, so if carrying out this mandate will help us get on the field, I think it is a positive step for the county.”
The restrictions of the pandemic impacted athletes of all sports, but each in different ways. During the height of the pandemic, swimmers across the county were also unable to train like they normally would.
“We weren’t allowed to practice as a team for 3 months,” Quince Orchard High School junior and swimmer Sophia Marks said. “So that was a huge setback for basically everyone in the swimming community.”
As much as the new mandate is about keeping athletes on the field, at its heart is keeping athletes safe. Many winter sports take place inside, which increases the chance of COVID-19 transmission; and other sports in general, like wrestling and lacrosse, require close contact with others. Thomas S. Wootton High School junior and lacrosse player Lauren Povich feels the necessity of the new vaccine mandate.
“I feel that the new mandate is a good thing that keeps everyone safe,” she said. “It isn’t much different than the other vaccine mandates we have for other sicknesses like chicken pox.”
Although Montgomery County residents have been more than willing to roll up their sleeves, others across the nation have been more hesitant. 97% of eligible Montgomery County residents have received at least one dose of the shot, compared to just 75% of Americans as a whole. With their seasons and wellbeing on the line, MCPS athletes like Northwest High School sophomore and baseball player Tommy Dalkhe are gladly accepting the new vaccine mandate.
“I 100% agree with having everyone vaccinated to play baseball,” Dalhke said. “I can’t even believe that was a debate.”
Written by Sammy Krimstein of Quince Orchard High School
Graphic by Zoe Peenstra of Sherwood High School