Hingham’s Winter Track Team Adapts to COVID
From Left: Sophomore Margaret Lowther, junior Jade Weggeman, and senior Meghan Hendrickson pose with their batons minutes before the 4×400 meters relay. Lowther runs mid-distances races like this one, but Weggeman and Hendrickson typically run much longer races, sometimes up to 2 miles!
March 29, 2021
To accommodate COVID-19, the winter track season has had to make some adjustments, both major and minor, to ensure safety for all runners and coaches.
For starters, along with other HHS sports like the football and dance teams, the Athletic Department pushed winter track to “Fall 2,” a pandemic-specific season placed between the normal winter season and a delayed spring season. The season began the week after February Break and will end in the coming weeks. There will still be a Patriot League meet.
Additionally, where and how meets would take place presented even more problems. Even with the infamous “Reggie Cough,” the Reggie Lewis Center has always been beloved by many, but because it now serves as a vaccination site, the track team had to find a new place to run. They decided to conduct virtual meets outdoors on the track. To do this, coaches first time athletes, and then later, Hingham sends in their results to the other teams. There have been some problems with timing, but the team continues to work out the kinks as they prepare for the spring.
Captain Olivia Spielberger explains, “We are fortunate the weather has allowed us to practice and compete in virtual meets with full support from coaches, teammates, and families.”
Another thing that has changed with this season is COVID protocols while running. Masking and social distancing are a must at both practices and runs. Although difficult at first, the athletes have worked hard to adapt to this unusual running situation and do their best to mask in races.
Sophomore Griffin Coppola shares, “Even with the COVID guidelines, I’m still having a great first track season and am looking forward to spring!”
Finally, like in school, if an athlete shows symptoms or has any reason to believe they may have the virus, they must quarantine. While this does present upsetting hurdles–pun intended–for runners who want to best their times, track and field is one of the only sports where athletes can practice on their own and still get almost as much out of it as if they were with the team. When necessary, quarantined athletes can organize workouts and runs on their own.
It has been a bizarre season, but the HHS Track and Field athletes are working harder than ever.
Spielberger beams, “I am incredibly proud of our team, especially with this season’s challenges.”
