The athletes of Greene County High School have been forced to deal with a month-long suspension due to the threat of COVID-19. Their coaches and teammates have come together from a far to stay in shape and ready for the season.  JEFFERSON HERALD FILE PHOTO

COPING WITH COVID

Local athletic programs get creative, stay positive amid lockdown
“It is human nature to take things for granted and this event has really made that hit home. This is something that makes us all appreciate life when it was normal. Hopefully, (it) returns in time for us to salvage some of this season.” - Greene County boys' golf coach Heath Telleen

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor
sports@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

Communication can be an intoxicating coping mechanism.
Words, both verbally and orally, can heal wounds, to a certain extent. But when it’s boiled down to the core, any type of video or group text can’t replace the time lost on the track, the golf course or the soccer field.
Student athletes across Iowa have begrudgingly come to terms without organized high school sports for an entire month now, since the spring sports schedule was put on hold March 13. The threat of the COVID-19 viral infection has put a pin in everything throughout the world, anything from school to dining out and even social gatherings.
Young athletes have it exceptionally difficult since high school athletics are often squeezed into a four-year window, and an even tighter box in relation to varsity participation, which most athletes get to taste for two to three years.  
Spring not only brings with it blooming flowers and fresh cut grass, but at schools throughout Iowa it is typically accompanied with intense competitions amongst golfers, track and field athletes and soccer players. Instead, an eerie silence has swept the Greene County High School campus - and across the state as well - leaving coaches to adjust on the fly and without live competitions.  
The top priority among the stable of local coaches, is to help their athletes remain optimistic while keeping an open line of communication. Nearly two-thirds of the spring season has already been wiped out, with the earliest start date tentatively set for May 1, leaving in its wake a slew of disappointed athletes.
Greene County girls’ track and field coach Derek Merk has urged his athletes to look ahead rather than dwell on the what-ifs. There’s still a chance their season begins, at some point.
“I keep reminding our girls that there is still a little light at the end of the tunnel,” Merk said. “I feel we need to frame our thinking in terms of that - what can we do in the moment to ensure we are in the best situation possible when/if this gets better.”
Many programs have kept in touch these past four weeks through video calls and text messages. A big draw of high school sports is not necessarily the competitive aspect, per say, but the societal unity it provides. Track and field may be somewhat of an individual sport due to the bevy of singular events in addition to the relays, but with so many different races and field events, most teams are chock full of teenagers from all walks of life.
Soccer is similar in the amount of athletes needed. A total of 22 players adorn the field at all times, which means most teams have, say, at least 16 or 17 varsity players. Interaction is key in these two sports while golf does not necessity rely on cohesion, but the students do spend an endless amount of hours on the course together practicing.
Merk misses the interaction with his athletes the most. It’s been tough on athletes all over the school, struggling to stay upbeat when they are forbidden from their peers.
“Track is a sport that is very social. I think some kids may enjoy it more for that particular aspect than the competitive aspect,” the coach said. “So, to go from seeing each other in person five times a week at practice to none, it is tough.”
Providing an outlet of optimism, Greene County boys’ track and field coach Chad Morton stays in touch with his guys through a communication app and a group text chat. He feels it’s helped build moral in a time of confusion.
“(We try to) give them hope,” Morton said. “Not knowing what is to come doesn’t always mean it is going to be bad. The state has not called off the spring sports so we are attacking it like we still have a season left when we come back. Everyone else is going through the same thing.  It isn’t like Greene County is the only team that has to go through this.”
With dreams of state titles and school records dwindling by the day, Greene County’s students have been coping remarkably well, Morton said. The coach has been closely tied to this particular senior class for quite some time. He knows the uncertainty has been tough on them, but they rarely indicate it.
“The thing about kids is that they are resilient,” Morton said. “From competing in sports they know they can withstand and recover quickly from something like this if we get a chance to compete when we come back.”
Carl Behne’s boys’ soccer team likely will compete for a state title this spring, if things ever get going. In just its third year, the Greene County program is still fighting to be considered among Iowa’s elite. The coach has heard the frustrations from several of his guys, but overall, he’s been pleased with their ability to adapt. They’ve remained optimistic during one of the darkest times of their athletic careers.  
“I know it has been hard for the guys, too as someone is always messaging me daily just to talk about the season and how they hope it starts up,” Behne said. “They have handled it with class, a maturity as well as a passion to come out of this with some kind of season where they can compete and work to get back to state, where we have unfinished business.”
The Rams soccer’ team set all kinds of school records last spring when they secured their first-ever state tournament appearance. They eventually bowed out in the state quarterfinals, taking three-time defending champion Iowa City Regina to overtime. A lot of talent returned from that team, which paved the way for high expectations. The Greene County boys’ and girls’ track teams also have several returning state qualifiers, with Brianna Osterson, Brooklynn Olson, Colby Kafer and Carter Morton each holding realistic shots at a championship. Thusly, the frustrations of not competing hits even harder.
In a way, this elongated suspension has allowed each of the area’s coaches to provide some unusual life lessons. Greene County boys’ golf coach Heath Telleen has slowed things down a bit, albeit virtually, to stress the silver lining for each one of his athletes.
“It is human nature to take things for granted and this event has really made that hit home,” the coach said. “This is something that makes us all appreciate life when it was normal. Hopefully, (it) returns in time for us to salvage some of this season.”
Obviously, training is an issue when the whole country is on lockdown. High school teams are banned from even practicing together, to say it’s been a few challenging weeks is a bit of an understatement. The various high school coaches are indeed keeping tabs on their athletes, but with no team practices or even individual, one-on-one sessions allowed between coaches and players, teams have found ways to stay creative. They haven’t ignored the athletes that don’t have the greatest access to equipment, either. First-year Greene County strength and conditioning coach Caden Duncan has been instrumental in these uncertain times, creating at-home workouts for athletes across the district. It’s been a blessing, Behne said.
“All I can do is encourage and challenge them to better themselves,” Behne said. “Coach Duncan is posting workouts program-wide and I have just asked they work to stay fit with what they have on hand. Whether that means running, doing a daily ‘push-up/sit-up/squat/lunge challenge’ using any free weights they might have and of course, getting lots of touches with a ball.”
A set schedule at home is key. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most airtight and structured plan, but it will provide a greater purpose if the athletes can establish some repetitiveness.
“(We’ve encouraged the kids to establish a routine,” Merk said. “It is easy to just sit around all day and watch TV or stay on social media. Yet, I think if we encourage them to have a set routine that they stick to, and that involves things such as physical activity, that will help them cope better mentally.”
Golf as well as track and field athletes, while not ideal, can still find ample time to work on their crafts. Golfers can hit the driving range or play a round out on the course while track athletes can essentially train anywhere that provides a hard surface, from the driveway and sidewalk to the Raccoon River Valley Trail that runs through town. Throwers can head to their backyard or an open field and practice tossing a discus or shot put. The area soccer players just need access to a soccer ball and an open area as well.
The athletes have been quite receptive to the at home training regimes, many of their coaches said, as they constant communication helps keep the kids in line. Girls’ track coach Merk said he’s heard a number of encouraging things from his athletes, using the end of COVID-19 as motivation.
“From feedback I’ve received, I believe a majority of our kids are continuing to practice as though we will have a season,” Merk said. “I think this speaks volumes about the type of kids we are lucky enough to coach.”
The overlying theme of each program within the Greene County School District is the hope and wish of a season, whether it’s extremely truncated or not. That’s the biggest motivator right now. The struggles of a quarantine that’s forced school and business closures, as well as a lengthy delay of sports, provides its many lessons as well, Behne said. A tightly-woven appreciation for the mundane and routine things being one of them. A desire for the normalcy of life.
“I believe we will all be stronger and more versatile. We are being forced outside our comfort zones and reconnecting to activities and people close to us,” the coach said. “I also think it will have us appreciate our teammates, the tools we have to workout with and the competition we are blessed to get to play in much more. I know it has given me plenty of time to reflect and be grateful.”
The Iowa High School Athletic Association in conjunction with the Iowa High School Girls’ Athletic Union has laid out plans for a resumption of spring activities on May 3, pending Governor Kim Reynolds reopening the state. Each postseason tournament has been pushed into June, with the co-ed state track and field meet held June 4-6 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Girls’ state golf will commence June 8-9 while the boys will tee it up June 11-12.  Lastly, the boys’ state soccer tourney is set for June 15, 17 and 19 in Des Moines while the girls’ will host their state championships June 16, 18 and 20.

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