Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fall sports are looking a little different this year, especially with the increasing spread of the Delta variant. On August 15, the Princeton High School Athletics department hosted a webinar discussing the restrictions in place for the season with Athletic Director Brian Dzbenski along with all of the fall sports head coaches, nurse Lisa Goldsmith, and Head Athletic Trainer Shannon Koch.

In the webinar, Dzbenski laid out a plan athletes must follow before attending practices: they must fill out a screening questionnaire and bring three masks, hand sanitizer, a towel, and a water jug. However, mask policies are far more relaxed; during practice, outdoor sport athletes do not have to wear them due to greater ventilation, and since sports started again after the pandemic, the virus has not been transmitted between students at outdoor practices from both the middle school and the high school. However, for indoor sports, such as girls volleyball, masks are still mandated by the New Jersey Sports Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), the governing body of New Jersey’s high school sports, due to greater concentration of particles indoors. Also, when traveling to away games, students must wear masks in the buses.

There are special cases where wearing masks is not possible. NJSIAA guidelines state that it is not safe to wear masks when performing strenuous activities such as wrestling, swimming, or performing stunting. Close contact during these sports should be as limited as possible, at a maximum of 15 minutes of exposure.

In addition, temperature checks were taken away this season because the district decided they were not as helpful as the health screening self assessments in determining if an athlete had the symptoms of COVID-19.

Dzbenski stresses the importance of these self-assessments.

“[It is] important that our coaches, students, and parents continue to understand and monitor their health. It just takes a moment to do a selfassessment on how you’re feeling today. Sometimes we get so caught up in the stresses of going to school and juggling all the things we’re juggling that if you have a sore throat, you may not even be mindful of it,” Dzbenski said.

With outdoor mask mandates and temperature checks removed, sports this season are looking more relaxed than last year. According to the District Physician, Dr. Robert Helmrich, in an “Ask the Doctor” event hosted by the Princeton Public Schools on August 31, it is important to note that this year we have vaccinated staff and students. The sports department asked parents to voluntarily submit their children’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination cards because it affects quarantine time for the team if a player tests positive with COVID-19. If a team is fully vaccinated, they can continue practicing even if a player tests positive.

Furthermore, many sports will have cuts to maintain safety, with the amount of cuts depending on each sport. For volleyball, for example, 70 people signed up to try out, but only 30 made either of the two teams. For soccer, however, there were minimal cuts. There are four different teams, and freshmen were not cut from the sport.

The plan for the season was developed by the PHS Athletic Department following a combination of guidelines the NJSIAA put out last spring, ideas from the CDC conference for high school sports, and decisions made by the Princeton Public Schools health and safety committee created by Superintendent Dr. Carol Kelley. This committee includes District Physician, Dr. Robert Helmreich; the Head Athletic Trainer Shannon Koch; and members from the Princeton Health Department including Director Jeffry Grosser, and his assistant, Karen Cope.

“[This] arsenal of people keep up to date with CDC guidelines and are able to monitor the COVID-19 Delta variant in our surrounding area, which in our county is moderate. [They make sure] the other areas we host games with or travel to are safe,” Dzbenski said.

There are a few options for student athletes or parents who feel uncomfortable with certain situations. For example, if they feel uncomfortable taking the buses to away games, they can get approval to provide their own transportation. In addition, if an athlete’s family feels uncomfortable going to watch the games in person, Princeton High School sports has a free livestream of all games up and running on the athletic website. For those who decide to attend the games in-person, no masks are necessary when outside.

Overall, the community’s opinion of the plans have been favorable.

“We are back to practicing in our normal location. I think that it’s more normal, and that it’s a nice middle ground. We’ll still be safe though the guidelines aren’t as strict as last year,” said student-athlete Kyleigh Tangen ’24.

In addition, the community’s cooperation has been tremendous.

Dzbenski said, “[The community has] been very responsible. And I think we’re in a really good place [for this season].”

The district is currently working with the dynamic situation and adapting the protocols as things are changing.

“We are sharing information with our coaches as it becomes available. Things could change, as we head into the winter months. The NJSIAA, New Jersey Department of Education, or CDC may come out with new guidelines. Our health and safety committee will continue to update guidelines,” Dzbenski said.