Athletes, this is your opportunity to share the impact of CDPHE and CHSAA’s recent schedule adjustments. We want to help you tell your story!
Share the true impact on you personally, not “It’s not fair”.
PLEASE include your SPORT, SCHOOL and CLASS
Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Comments are reviewed and approved before posting.
I am planning to play basketball and football this semester. We now have to wait 7 more weeks before we can even start practicing. Not having sports as an outlet for joy is impacting the mental health of many of my best friends – it’s at an all time low and it’s very scary. While I’m class of ’22, I know how badly the senior class needs this season for recruiting and a chance to change their life with a college scholarship. We know the risks and we want to play a full season during the school year. Please let us start Jan. 4!!
I am a cheerleader at Smoky Hill High School, in the class of 2021. Not being able to practice and compete has had a very negative impact on me and my mental health. Cheer is my place to get away from the world and simply have fun while working out and creating a bond with my team. Without cheer I have found myself becoming less interested in my other daily activities. This “break” has made it difficult for me to focus, socialize, and stay in shape.
I plan to tryout for a collegiate level cheer team in this upcoming season. I truly believe that losing this essential practice time is going to set me back for tryouts.
I am from Sanford Colorado, I am a junior in high school and I play basketball! I’ve worked so hard for the past six years preparing and setting goals for this sport. It truly means the world to me and it teaches me so many life lessons. Without sports, I have struggled with my mental heath. Basketball truly is an outlet for me! Please let us start January 4th!
I am a sophomore from Sanford High school. I live in a small town with one store, basketball is not only my life, but my mental outlet. Playing this sport helps me mentally and I have seen the effects of not playing in my school work and social life. Me and my team have been working very hard to have a good program and we would do anything to play. Please let us start January 4th. We’ve been waiting long enough.
I would be really sad if I didn’t get to play my first year of High school basketball with my team mates. They are my second family. Basketball is a place to get away from everything else and relax and do what you love. It means a lot to everyone to have a season! Basketball helps a person grow and learn. It builds character. My team has a genuine love for the sport. We put a lot of effort into building a solid foundation for the season, I would hate to see us not be able to play because it keeps getting postponed! Please let us start as planned!
Sanford Indians
Freshmen
Basketball
Basketball is something I look forward too. I spend so much of my time working and improving my skills to get to play every year of my high school. I live in a small community that everyone looks forward to basketball. Not being able to have basketball really effects us emotionally, mentally and physically. This sport brings us closer as team mates, family and friends I love this sport and I would appreciate having a full season to play, like other high schools all around the country.
School- Sanford high school
Sport- Basketball
Grade- sophomore
I am a student athlete at Sanford High School and I play 2A basketball. Sports, specifically basketball, are my way of expressing myself. There’s nothing better than walking in the gym and putting in work. Basketball has been my outlet to help me push through those days that make me consider giving up. Being able to get in the gym with my teammates and coaches helps me to forget about myself and get to work. I have learned so many vital life lessons that I cherish and know I will continue to cherish in my life. This season isn’t just about sports, it’s about developing skills and values to help us through the rest of our lives. I believe we deserve that opportunity to learn and grow as both athletes and people for the period of time previously scheduled.
My name is Emily L. I am a senior at Alamosa High School and I play basketball. I tore my ACL last February so that really messed up my recruiting process, I was not able to go to college camps that I was invited to and a lot of schools stopped recruiting me because of my injury. Having the best year of my high school career was cut short and I haven’t played a basketball game in about 10 months. I have college coaches who are waiting on me to send them game film when season starts and now with the delayed start time, I am scared that these coaches are going to get tired of waiting and just stop recruiting me all together. I fear that CHSAA will just keep delaying and delaying my senior season until they cancel it all together like they did with spring sports last year. I have looked forward to my senior year of basketball my whole life, and especially coming off a major injury I have something to prove and I need my senior season to happen.
They are trying to take away swim season. We are in a pool with chlorinated water that kills germs. We don’t touch each other or even come close to each other. The chances of infection for this sport are extremely small, so why postpone swimming? Honestly I don’t understand why anything is getting postponed. Football season was successful and resulted in zero covid deaths. Plenty of other states are finding a way to make it work, so why can’t Colorado.
My name is Kylee and I am a senior at Sangre De Cristo High School. I tore my ACL my sophomore year and had to miss half of my season. I then came back my junior year and came back stronger but then our season was cut short at the state tournament. I am now in the best shape of my life but this has messed up future plans for me when it comes to college sports. I fear that college coaches will look in other states for players to fill their college roster because Colorado isn’t playing yet. I was looking forward to spend my senior year playing the game that I love so much instead of staying in the house afraid of a virus. I am aware of the risks and I am willing to take those risks to be able to continue my life. How much more of our lives are we suppose to give up? I am asking to let us play now – no more postponements. Colleges are playing with fans. There are many states continuing high school sports and LIFE. So why can’t Colorado??
Cheer at my school has been my way to escape and my happy place. With the schedule changed again I’ve become sad.:( I miss the time with my teammates. Please let us start January 4th.
My name is Sela, I am a freshman at Smoky Hill. Not being able to practice and compete with my team has had a very negative impact on my mental health. This year has been very tough for everyone, myself included. Among many things my sister moved out last month and it’s the first time I’ve ever lived without her. For the time she has been gone my team has been like one big older sister to me. Cheer has helped me so much in the past months both mentally and physically. I’ve been able to get out of the house and exercise while bonding with my team. Cheer created a safe space for me. Practice had been a place where I could leave my worries at the door and have fun with my team because I don’t have to stress at all when I’m with my team. But now we aren’t allowed to practice until Jan. 25th. This has caused my mental health to plummet. It’s been very hard for me to find motivation to get out of bed, or workout, or do my school work. I miss my sport more than anything right now. Please let us start practicing again on Jan. 4th.
Hello,
My name is Parker, and I am a high school student at Clear Creek High School, in the class of 2023. At this time I came onto this page to share my frustration with the new restrictions. I am currently on the high school ski team but am not able to practice due to the new restrictions. We wear our mask from when we get to the mountain to when we leave the mountain, we get ready in our vehicles separate from others, we sit two people to a chair on separate ends of it, and have more restrictions from there on. As an athlete on both, club ski team and, high school ski team I have had to take these precautions on both teams and we are still able to train with our club ski team. I feel indignation that the new restrictions are not allowing us to perform our athletic endeavors, even with the regulations they have given us. We follow the rules they tell us to follow, then they shut down all season B sports.
My name is Kaley and I am a senior at Fowler High School (2A). As a varsity volleyball and basketball athlete, I was so excited to finish our last season on the state floor. With these sports being postponed, many of our athletes have lost motivation to stay in shape and work out. Many of the fellow seniors in my grade will also struggle to get recruited by college coaches with such a late senior season. Some are in danger of not getting recruited at all. This will not only affect sports, but their futures. Sports give many student athletes the opportunity to attend college for cheaper, or even for free. Not being able to send coaches game film or have recruiters attend games will put a risk on their entire future. Postponing the season will be detrimental to many athletes. I understand the anticipated rise in cases following Christmas break, however, as there was no significant rise in cases following Thanksgiving break, I don’t understand the reason for the postponement. With a successful football season leading to no COVID transmission or deaths, postponing the season would only be a useless power trip that wouldn’t actually contribute to public health and well-being. Not playing sports will actually have a huge negative impact on the mental health of student athletes across the state. Without a volleyball season this fall, many of my teammates skipped school and let their grades drop. Without sports eligibility as a motivator, I believe they will continue to let their grades slip. Personally, I have found myself less motivated and more sad when I think about sports because the idea of having a senior season at this point seems more and more like a dream.