When will I see you again?

Anger. Sadness. Frustration. Loneliness. Those are the emotions swirling around coaches, athletes and the sporting communities at both Sauk Prairie and Wisconsin Heights High Schools as all activities have been placed on hold in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus. By now, spring sports would be in full swing. But with Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers issuing a “Safer at Home” order through April 24, spring sports seem to be on life support. Last week, the Star News talked with several spring coaches at these schools about how they’re proceeding in these unprecedented times. Here are some of their responses. 1. What do you have your athletes doing right now? Individual workouts only? Anything else? Drew Kornish, Sauk Prairie girls soccer: “Our season officially started on Monday, March 23. We as coaches created a Google Classroom platform to use a way to deliver content to our players. All activities are to be done individually. My message to the team has been to make sure we are practicing not only social distancing, but self-isolation as well. We figure the best way to ensure some type of season is doing our part to slow the spread. We have also used social media to challenge the girls in the program to some different fun activities and report back on them.”  Andy Sherman, Sauk Prairie track: “We are providing workout options for our athletes. We are not allowed to meet with them or have them use the track at all, so we have tried to get creative in what we have presented to the team as options. The distance group continues to follow their plan, which has been provided by Coach Marquardt. As for the sprinters, I have created a menu system that allows them to choose what they do on the day based on whatever system they should be training. This allows for choice, but also, no athlete has the same environment to use for their training. This way, they can choose what best suits their individual conditions.”  Sara Boutelle, Wisconsin Heights track: “We had a team meeting during our last practice before the schools closed and discussed training ideas for athletes. Luckily, we have a motivated crew and they took charge of sharing contact information and sharing ideas for training right away. Having a large group of seniors this year has provided an opportunity for some great leadership to show.” Sam Mack, Sauk Prairie boys tennis: “Tennis wasn’t scheduled to start until March 30. I’m not allowed contact or to direct workouts until that time. Some of the players have been working out individually, but nothing coordinated as of yet.” Shane Frey, Sauk Prairie boys golf: “Lake Wisconsin Country Club was open from March 13 up until (March 25), so our golfers had the option of playing/practicing at their own discretion. Our season was not set to start until April 6, so this stretch from late March to the beginning of our season was always a time for kids to work on things on their own. With the Governor’s new mandate, the golf course will not be able to stay open meaning that players who want to work on their game will have to do so at home.” Darin Pape, Sauk Prairie baseball: “Obviously, with the situation, we are not allowed to have organized or group practices. However, the expectation is that players are working out on their own. The players need to be throwing, hitting and doing things to keep themselves in baseball shape. Because when we get back to normal, whenever that is, we are going to hope to get right into our season.”    2. How are you staying in contact with your team, and how often are you reaching out to your athletes? Andy Sherman, Sauk Prairie track: “There are several ways that we are staying in contact. I reach out to the team and individuals, generally daily. I know how hard this has been for many of our athletes, especially the seniors. So, we have done our best to stay in touch, stay positive and provide opportunities for the athletes to continue training on their own. We also use our team website to provide much of the information that is needed for training.”  Sara Boutelle, Wisconsin Heights track: “All coaches are available through email any time. We answer questions and provide motivation when athletes need it.” Darin Pape, Sauk Prairie baseball: “As a coaching staff, we have created a Google Classroom communication page for our players.  This platform provides an opportunity to communicate regularly, and provide drills, videos, updates and ideas for them to work on individually.  This is essentially the limit to what we can do at this time.” Sam Mack, Sauk Prairie boys tennis: “I’m emailing the players and parents about once a week. On Monday, I’ll start a GroupMe thread for the players to be in contact more often and to pass along at-home workouts.”  Shane Frey, Sauk Prairie boys golf: “I use Google Classroom and Remind. I will update them on Google Classroom every few days and will post some videos or drills that they can work on if they choose.”  Drew Kornish, Sauk Prairie girls soccer: “The main source of contact for me as a coach is through email. We were fortunate enough to have a spring registration meeting prior to the schools and events being shut down, so I have contact information for nearly all players and parents. I am using email a couple times a week to make sure that everyone is on the same page regarding the status of the season. We also use the Google Classroom and Group Me, which is a social media app that allows groups to stay in contact.”    3. What’s the overall mood of everyone in your program?  Andy Sherman, Sauk Prairie track: “Each athlete is processing this situation different, just like most adults. It is very difficult for all of us to not know answers such as will we have a season and what might it look like. I really believe the not knowing is what is hardest right now.” Shane Frey, Sauk Prairie boys golf: “I think that they are disappointed that we will not be able to get our season going on time, but are holding out hope that at some point things will get back to normal and that we can get it going. I think it helped that kids who wanted to were able to get out and play, so the course closing will be tough for some.” Darin Pape, Sauk Prairie baseball: I guess confusion is probably the most common feeling that is shared by not only the players, but also the coaches, parents, etc.  Most questions we get start with the word “When?” The players understand that this is a very serious situation, and that this is for the benefit of all.  However, we are all just hopeful that we can resume our normal routine soon.  So I think that overall, the players are dealing with this situation as best they can.  We are all in new territory.  Hopefully they are healthy, safe, and remaining positive.” Drew Kornish, Sauk Prairie girls soccer: “The players I have been able to speak with are typically seniors. This group, as you may be able to guess,  is very disappointed with what is happening. We are all holding out hope and working individually towards playing at some point this spring. It has been a very difficult time for the group as we have very high expectations for the season and are led by an amazing senior class. But until we hear a definitive word for the WIAA or Sauk Prairie School District we need to be preparing as if we are playing at some point this season to reach those goals and expectations. It is a really unfortunate situation that they are being thrown into, but they will all get through it by supporting one another.”  Sam Mack, Sauk Prairie boys tennis: “The kids were initially excited to be out of school, but they are coming to realize all that they are missing and have the potential to miss. Twelve of our 20 players are seniors and they were looking forward to the season and the end of their high school careers. Now that’s in jeopardy and they are getting a bit sad and nostalgic.  Sara Boutelle, Wisconsin Heights track: “I have heard that this time away from the team has made athletes appreciate their training more. It can be a lonely task to train on your own, so we are all hoping for the best and looking forward to getting back to the track as a strong team soon.”