Coaches miss their athletes, hope workouts can begin June 1

High school and middle school athletic competitions ground to a halt on March 12 due to COVID-19, leaving spring sport athletes who had been preparing for their seasons for months hanging. Baseball, soccer, track and field, tennis and other sports just ended. Those seasons – and outstanding individual performances – will always be marked by an astericks.So, what happens next? No one knows.’The guidance for GHSA sports and activities and training for these activities is that they are suspended until further notice. Schools are closed and activities are suspended.’ That is the edict from the Georgia High School Association coaches are operating under at present.’Dr. Hines at GHSA has not given any indication of when things will be opened back up or if our fall sports seasons will be delayed. We spend hours talking and speculating but it doesn’t matter a whole lot. Ultimately, we are simply waiting to get the all clear from GHSA. Our coaches have been planning summer workouts and practices with the hope of having a fall season. I’d like to see everything get started on June 1. But, we have to keep the health and safety of our coaches and student athletes in mind as well,’ LC athletic director Mike Oberg said.Oberg will be taking over girls softball in the fall and coaches baseball in the spring.James Hickenbotham is Lamar’s head track and field coach and a football assistant. He also works with a local AAU track and field team. ‘It will be interesting to see how all this develops. The only timeframe that truly matters is the decline of this pandemic,’ Hickenbotham said.That said, the coaches miss their teams and athletes and teachers miss their students.’I haven’t spoken to one teacher or coach who wouldn’t rather be in school with the kids,’ Oberg concluded.