As a consequence of physical distancing policies, different sports around the world have been delayed or stopped completely. Coaches from the Bowie community have tried to overcome this obstacle in a variety of different ways so that their athletes can continue to practice and improve in their sport from their own homes.

“Our coaches have been sending us optional workouts to complete during quarantine,” sophomore track team member Kate Oelkers said. “They are shorter workouts that runners can do at home or around their neighborhoods. They are running sets that do not require a track, just a stopwatch or trail.” 

Keira Folkers, a sophmore on Silver Stars, is required as a member of the dance team to take three online classes per week of either stretching, yoga, working out, or dance.

“I think it is a good idea to imply mandatory classes because we all need to make sure we keep our skills up and take a little bit of time to be active,” Folkers said. “I think that we are losing a lot of time that we used to have in class to dance and improve our skills and technique, so having some form of way to stay active will help us next year.”

The coaches have to ensure that even if this season is put to an end, the athletes will be prepared to give it their all when they are allowed to practice and compete again.

“I think coming back to dance next year will be a little difficult because we are not getting the same amount of dedicated time to the sport as we did during the year,” Folkers said. “However, I do think taking these classes will help us not lose all of our skills and will make it easier to get back into dance next year.”

    Throughout this pandemic, Folkers believes that continued training is positively impacting the Silver Stars and allowing them to make the most out of a difficult situation.

“I enjoy [doing online classes] because we get to interact with others while still taking class,” sophomore Silver Stars dancer Campell Hardy said.

Although Oelkers is worried about how the season disruption could affect her athletic progress, she believes that the extra work her coaches are assigning will help her increase and maintain her athletic abilities.  

“The new COVID-19 pandemic is affecting sports throughout the world,” Oelkers said. “Everything has been put to a halt. Not only are college sports cancelled but also the Olympics. It is best to know that every athlete globally is going through the same experience and that we are all in this together. Hopefully, sports will be able to continue soon so that all of the hard work can be rewarded.”