Newcastle athletes prepare

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
As the Division I colleges throughout the country began cancelling their fall sports seasons, and as the University of Wyoming heard the decision of the Mountain West that they too had fallen victim to COVID cancellations, many have been holding their collective breath waiting to see if high schools would be next on the chopping block.
While the anvil may be still swinging precariously overhead, the Dogies breathed a slight sigh of relief as practices began on Monday, Aug. 17.
Newcastle High School’s cross country, girls’ swimming and volleyball teams each began their season on Monday morning, and were back at it in the afternoon for round two while football players stepped on the field for the first time this season in the afternoon.
After several months with no organized high school sports, each team has been tasked with getting in shape for their first contests coming up in a couple of weeks, and from the looks of things, every athlete is excited to be back in action.
Of course, it’s not back to practice as usual. Athletes need to be cleared to practice each day, they must maintain social distancing when at all possible, have their own water bottles and wear face coverings when not active and when social distancing is not possible in those down times.
There’s a lot to look forward to this season in all four sports as teams are returning a strong core to their rosters and Dogie football is making a little bit of history as they have welcomed a couple of new kickers to the team, one of whom is a female. Senior Lady Dogie soccer player Emily Beastrom is looking to apply her kicking skills on the gridiron in her final year, and should be exciting to watch.
Questions regarding fan attendance have also been addressed by the Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. According to his orders, fans will be allowed to attend sporting contests — indoors and out — but must abide by regulations that include social distancing between small groups of six (preferably family groups) and maintaining social distancing upon entering and exiting the facility. Indoors, capacity is set at 250 and outdoors the limit is 50% capacity of the venue, not to exceed 1,000.