As the PDS community slowly returns to campus, the future of fall sports has become a bigger question for the coming year. Preseason started on August 24 this year, and athletes were excited to get back on the fields and courts after a long time away. Field hockey, boys and girls soccer, cross country, and girls tennis were able to return, while volleyball was unfortunately canceled due to NJ COVID-19 regulations. 

Being away from school and sports for more than five months has only made this upcoming season more exciting than ever for both coaches and players. For example, girls tennis coach, Christopher Rosensteel noted, “From the very first day of preseason practice, you could tell that there was a special energy to being in a team environment and it invigorated all of us. Although all preseason practices were optional for our team, practices were well attended, and our girls had terrific energy, productivity and focus.” Coming back to play together has given students a sense of normalcy and many are excited to see what the season holds. The weather has been great from late August into early September, making for excellent playing conditions. 

To ensure a safe environment for the athletes and coaches each student fills out a Magnus health questionnaire before practice, which includes questions about who they have come in contact with and temperature checks. “It has been kind of weird having to complete a daily survey and wait to get temperatures taken, but we have adjusted well,” senior girls varsity soccer player Jules Romano commented about the screenings. Although the extra health precautions are awkward to go through, they seem to be working so far,  as all athletes are healthy. Everyone is just glad to get back, and if that means doing a bit extra, it is well worth it. 

The preseason has been going on for three weeks now, and although it is hard to promise a full season due to the unpredictability of COVID-19, all teams have games scheduled for later in the month. While players want to compete and show off the fruits of their labour, teams are also using this unprecedented time to come together and bond. Senior Skye Harris, who plays on the field hockey team, explained, “We’ve been incorporating team bonding into practice, which we’ll continue throughout the season, and that’s been really fun. Our team energy so far has been really nice and I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone better as the year progresses.” Now more than ever it is important to unite as a community, whether that be on or off the field.

Correction 9/25/20:

The initial version of this story did not include Cross Country in the list of sports to come back to PDS.