By Kate Emmanuel, Staff Reporter
Sports practices in the spring are notorious for cool, breezy conditions shifting to hot, sunny weather in seconds. With the new requirement for masks this past year, these conditions have only intensified for athletes. From racing after a tennis ball to sprinting down the length of a field while wearing masks, ‘Stoga athletes are tackling the brutal heat with new strategies.
The problem with the heat? Sweat. Sophomore and boys’ varsity tennis player Aaron Sun explains that the biggest struggle he faces on court is not the high temperatures he plays in but rather dealing with a sweaty mask.
“If the mask gets wet, usually it’s clogged up, so it gets hard to breathe through, and you run out of breath really quickly. I like not wearing masks. (It) helps you breathe easier (and) just play,“ Sun said.
Despite his preference of playing on court without a mask, one solution Sun has used to improve his breathing is changing his mask frequently.
“Sometimes I switch my masks, maybe every 15 minutes, or sometimes, I’ll just use a towel to dry it off,” Sun said.
Junior Peyton Quinn says that on the girls’ varsity rugby team, masks have played a significant role in players feeling unwell during practice.
“The past couple weeks people have definitely gotten lightheaded and had to take a break because (the heat) is just too much,” Quinn said.
Quinn says that socially distanced mask breaks have been a very effective strategy in combating the heat.
“If we need to take a break (from masks), we just walk away from everybody and distance ourselves because we obviously don’t want to get anybody sick,” Quinn said.
Although the struggles with wearing masks while playing sports are many, athletes have found a way to make the most of the situation. Freshman Amanda Markind says that the girls’ volleyball team has been able to bond through this common struggle.
“Our team has made light of the situation because we know we’re strong enough to keep up our intensity while wearing masks,” Markind said. “It’s been tough (wearing masks), but I’m just so grateful to even have a season this year.”
Kate Emmanuel can be reached at [email protected].
