Athletics = Madness

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2020

I'm surprised re: football. It was deemed too high risk in my state and isn't happening at the pee-wee or high school level. (Is allowed at the college level, but folks watching there and if the NFL - both testing regularly or every day - know it hasn't been within its own outbreaks that have cancelled games...)

But we did have hockey. And we just shut hockey down for two weeks, which is, of course, bringing out the complaining parents. But there were 30+ clusters discovered going back to youth hockey! I honestly hope it won't open back up again. And I don't think youth basketball can happen at all - that one is right up there with wrestling with even less gear worn. (Unless they decide to mask during play, but I'm not holding my breath there.)

Guests · Oct 27, 2020

I hear you and it doesn't make any sense. I am in the same state as Jen and yes, we have had very strict rules, but I also know that athletic leagues are finding ways to get around the rules. We have a local basketball league that is supposed to be running skills and drills "clinics" but every weekend they are going up to a neighboring state and playing what sound no different from tournaments with teams from all over the state. We have a few cheerleading gyms that happen to have gyms in neighboring states so they went up there to do their practices and choreography in the Summer when our state was still not allowing gyms to open. The mess that Jen mentioned about hockey is because again some rinks were following guidelines but many were not. A lot of games were played up North in a neighboring state with more lenient guidelines.

And then you have situations like my post on Sunday where huge house parties were thrown and your entire district moves to remote because of lack of accountability and the entitlement some people feel to not have to follow the rules. It is SO hard as school nurses to be the mask police, be the ones the parents hate right now when you have to call them to pick up their kid with ONE symptom, simply because you are following the rules, and the school itself is not following guidelines. Makes zero sense.

k1p1ssk, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2020

19 minutes ago, MHDNURSE said:

I hear you and it doesn't make any sense. I am in the same state as Jen and yes, we have had very strict rules, but I also know that athletic leagues are finding ways to get around the rules. We have a local basketball league that is supposed to be running skills and drills "clinics" but every weekend they are going up to a neighboring state and playing what sound no different from tournaments with teams from all over the state. We have a few cheerleading gyms that happen to have gyms in neighboring states so they went up there to do their practices and choreography in the Summer when our state was still not allowing gyms to open. The mess that Jen mentioned about hockey is because again some rinks were following guidelines but many were not. A lot of games were played up North in a neighboring state with more lenient guidelines.

And then you have situations like my post on Sunday where huge house parties were thrown and your entire district moves to remote because of lack of accountability and the entitlement some people feel to not have to follow the rules. It is SO hard as school nurses to be the mask police, be the ones the parents hate right now when you have to call them to pick up their kid with ONE symptom, simply because you are following the rules, and the school itself is not following guidelines. Makes zero sense.

There have been two recent outbreaks in my tiny county and both are related to travel basketball where people have again, shirked MA rules - they do their practices outdoors but then attend multi-state tournaments in a neighboring state. Our staff are outraged and want us to tell families they can't do anything at all outside of school. But then I see staff members travelling all over the country. And these same staff members who refuse to teach indoors (period) are travelling to a high risk area for Christmas and then trying to argue the state's travel order with me.... Like I have control over that. GAH.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2020

We will have football here in Texas no matter what! (And no matter what I say).

The thing that gets me is the select sports - either for kids who are super talented or for kids who haven't made their school's teams (or both sometimes - because it's awesome to have a young pitcher throw every dadgum day). That's a whole new mix of people you're hanging out with.

Parents appear to be willing to sacrifice their childrens' health for a sense of "normalcy." Also some parents are bound and determined that their kid will still be able to qualify for a sports scholarship - even if we're not sure that they'll be playing sports next year.

Problem is that if the teachers go down/out with COVID....there is no education to be had and we'll be back to virtual learning.

ChristmasNurse · Oct 27, 2020

No one wants to be the bad guy. It took our state sports association weeks to make the call because they were so afraid of people being mad at them that they kept kicking the can down the road and leading on the kids and the (idiot) parents. So everyone now hates the sports association - some for taking away football, some for being wimps. Now we have independent teams that have popped up and our district is allowing them to use the fields and equipment, which is crazy. Here, we basically have no leadership and those in that position are catering to stupid. Sorry to sound so vicious. I've just had it.

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2020

2 hours ago, k1p1ssk said:

There have been two recent outbreaks in my tiny county and both are related to travel basketball where people have again, shirked MA rules - they do their practices outdoors but then attend multi-state tournaments in a neighboring state. Our staff are outraged and want us to tell families they can't do anything at all outside of school. But then I see staff members travelling all over the country. And these same staff members who refuse to teach indoors (period) are travelling to a high risk area for Christmas and then trying to argue the state's travel order with me.... Like I have control over that. GAH.

That last sentence x1000. Seriously.

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Oct 27, 2020

We are in a hockey disaster....

Cas1in72 · Oct 27, 2020

I have had to distance myself from any social media, and can not watch the Zoom school board meetings anymore. Seeing the pictures of our school sports teams, the crowds etc, makes me physically ill. Then seeing my staff going on about life as if there isn't a worldwide pandemic. Anxiety through the ROOF! The comments that the parents make are out of this world ignorant. The numbers in my state are climbing, and yet we still have sports, tried back at 100% for 3 days, until it got shut down again. Back to hybrid at this point. In the words of a great Tik -Tok video out there, " The pandemic isn't over with, just because you're over it" I want to scream this at the top of my lungs!!!

guest464345 · Oct 27, 2020

Well, at least it's not just here....looking at guidance I see that wrestling and football are listed as the highest-risk sports even by the AIA. And yet, we have both.

Just like all of you, I'm struggling to process certain things. Like, the public demanding that all of us in schools (not to mention hospitals!) put ourselves in harm's way for the good of the community and our students' mental and social well-being.

And then on the other hand, that same public sometimes won't tolerate the smallest inconvenience - a piece of cloth on the face, missing an enjoyable recreational activity or sport, etc - in return.

Maybe I'll take some personal risks so that kids in my community can get an education. But if I die of COVID because someone couldn't give up football for one season, I'm going to mad as hell! ?

guest464345 · Oct 27, 2020

2 hours ago, Cas1in72 said:

Anxiety through the ROOF! The comments that the parents make are out of this world ignorant. The numbers in my state are climbing, and yet we still have sports, tried back at 100% for 3 days, until it got shut down again. Back to hybrid at this point. In the words of a great Tik -Tok video out there, " The pandemic isn't over with, just because you're over it" I want to scream this at the top of my lungs!

Yesterday, as I sent a vomiting kid home and informed the parent of our protocol (online education x 10 days or a negative COVID test), I was loudly and publicly lectured on the following scientific facts:

1) I don't know what vomiting is

2) I don't understand public health guidance and am an uninformed nurse, and finally
3) Nausea can be caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, secondary to wearing a cloth mask

I'm mentally screaming right along with you!

cherieRN · Oct 28, 2020

I am so frustrated with the organized sports teams being a priority over the safety of everyone at school. We've had incidents where a parent or sibling to a student tests positive, meanwhile they've been all been at the games and practices talking to other parents and spending time around the kids. Mask compliance seems hit or miss (I ask any kids who come into my office who I know play soccer/football/etc...). We take all these extra precautions at school to keep everyone as safe as possible yet sports practices and birthday parties are acceptable? ?