After three weeks without in-person practices, the City sports teams are allowed to return to both practice and competitions on September 26. This is because the district is returning to hybrid schooling the following Monday.

“It’s really hard to get yourself out the door when there’s not coaches or teammates waiting on you,” Zoe Meaney ‘21 said. “It’s a struggle also not necessarily knowing where the season is going. [That] makes it difficult to motivate yourself.”

Meaney has been running on her own six days a week based on the mileage charts sent out by the cross country coaches since the Iowa Department of Education required the discontinuation of any in-person extracurricular activities. Without agreeing to these terms, the Iowa City Community School District would not have been allowed to have school 100% online.

“The department expects that your district will temporarily cease in-person extracurricular activities for the duration of the two-week period, and this approval is conditioned upon satisfying that expectation. Extracurricular activities may continue on an online or virtual basis,” written by the Iowa Department of Education in their letter granting the ICCSD the waiver to have school online.

Now, with the district deciding to go back to hybrid schooling, extracurricular activities can resume in-person meetings. Additionally, limited spectators will once again be allowed to attend athletic events, based on the guidelines implemented this August.

“[I am] extremely excited for City High’s 300 plus fall athletes to have the chance to practice and compete again,” City High athletic director, Philip Hansen said. “Extracurriculars provide an avenue for young adults to learn so many life lessons that cannot be replicated in a classroom. I am excited to provide this opportunity again and watch out great student-athletes compete and grow as human beings.”

Hansen reminds student-athletes to remain positive in the face of the uncertainty surrounding the sports season.

“[I encourage everyone to] make the most out of the opportunities we [have] left. We all knew going into the fall season, this year would be different than any other. There are still opportunities left, and we need to make sure we are prepared and ready to go when the opportunity arises,” Hansen said.

While she is excited to return to in-person cross country practices, Meaney stresses the importance of athletes being careful and taking responsibility for their own actions.

“I really, really hope that all of the coaches and all of the athletes are taking all of the precautions seriously,” Meaney said. “I guess that’s just my hope going forward is that people are being overly cautious because [COVID] is really just not something that we can risk at this point.”