As soon as the Athletic Center doors open to Upper Schoolers at 3:30 pm, all of the vigilant health and safety procedures followed in the Schoolhouse seem to change. While mask mandates and guidelines are strictly enforced in the classroom, the rules pertaining to indoor sports are more blurred, with some confusion developing among athletes since winter sports commenced.

Although there is a Baldwin Athletics COVID health and safety plan, some of the guidelines have proved impractical to implement exactly. 

The plan states that “All student-athletes must wear masks when they are not physically active (e.g., on the team bench, pool deck, observing practice, riding team buses).”

This seems to mean that, for example, track athletes are supposed to put on their masks during resting periods. However, student athletes say that these resting periods feel like active participation because they are either still out of breath and recovering from running or preparing to begin the next set in a few moments.

Indoor track co-captain Thea Rosenzweig ‘22 said, “Nobody is running and then putting a mask right back on because it’s not sustainable and is not really possible.”

Kerrie Snead, Athletic Trainer and Wellness Coordinator, provided some clarification on masking rules in the middle of strenuous competition. 

Ms. Snead said, “If you’re coming out, for example, for a 30 second basketball timeout, you don’t have to put on your mask; it’s the extended time periods where players are sitting next to each other that you have to be masked to avoid any sort of quarantine.”

Ms. Snead added, “The main concerns from the health department are [longer] team events. For example, when the basketball team is sitting on the bench together or having a team meeting, masking guidelines have to be stricter.”

Despite Baldwin’s best efforts to keep its athletes safe, close proximity with others is sometimes unavoidable, especially in a contact sport like basketball. Basketball co-captain Gabi Pritzker ‘22 recalled a recent basketball game where she felt uncomfortable getting close to a team suspected of being exposed.

Pritzker said, “I didn’t want to risk not wearing a mask. There is always the thought in the back of my head saying, ‘maybe I don’t really want to be this close to [the opposing player]’”.

Basketball co-captain Kaya Weiser ‘22 added, “While I feel comfortable with Baldwin’s players, as I have a general idea of the behaviors of my peers and their whereabouts, this is not necessarily true for opposing teams. Playing against other teams is always a risk.”

The basketball team in particular has faced roadblocks related to COVID; in January, a COVID outbreak among team members canceled a week of practices and games.

Despite the challenges, coaches and athletic staff applaud Baldwin athletes for their adaptability during this difficult time. Snead said, “Everyone just rolls with all the changes, whether it’s masks on or masks off, indoors or outdoors. Everybody has been more than flexible. It couldn’t be easier to work with our student athletes.”

Similarly, Director of Athletics Ms. Glascott-Birch said, “I am grateful that our school community continues to follow all protocols that we have in place. Our students and spectators have been supportive and understanding of the health and safety policies.”

At the end of the day, athletes, coaches, and administrators must accept the tradeoffs that come with practicing and competing amid COVID in order to have a successful season.