Doug Wolter: Even if they have to wear a suit of armor, athletes want to play

I sense a certain residual frustration among the high school sports community, though at the same time there is gratefulness that winter athletics has been cleared for practice on Jan. 4.

It’s frustrating not knowing when actual games and meets will begin. It would be maddening to go through the practice stage and not have events coming out the other end, but this state errs on the side of caution with COVID-19.

Caution is good, but, well … frustrating at the same time. Athletic directors, coaches, student-athletes, parents and fans -- all of us -- still do not know when, or even if, the games will begin. We hope it will be Jan. 14 because the Minnesota State High School League allows traditionally for a 10-game practice period prior to competition.

The longer the wait, the longer frustration simmers. Perhaps that’s a good thing. I mean, we wouldn’t want to have games when the environment is deemed unsafe, but there’s only so much delay that a sports population will stand for. The MSHSL knows this, and some suspect that their resumption of the delayed fall campaigns indicated a keen understanding on their part that the natives were growing restless.

Gov. Tim Walz is increasingly unpopular in some circles because of the way he’s handled the pandemic, not just among sports fans but among business owners, too. He’s obviously aware of it, and you can sense his sensitivity in his comments to sports fans.

“...Organized sports also provide developmental opportunities for youth and mental and physical health benefits for Minnesotans of all ages, so we should start to bring back these activities if we can do so safely,” he wrote in his latest executive order.

Critics of Walz’s covid caution have tried to remind him that sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Long periods of lockdown increase feelings of isolation and depression, and those are feelings that can lead to tragic consequences. Though the pandemic is a serious threat to older Americans, the young are not nearly so substantially affected.

Balance. Balance is what’s needed. MSHSL associate director Bob Madison said as much when the League signed off on the Jan. 4 practice kickoff.

“We need balance,” he said. “We need to get back to our controlled environments with our protocols and guidance to make sure that we can show those benefits that are recognized within the order itself.”

But balance means COVID statistics must be continually addressed. Last time I checked, coronavirus cases were falling slowly, but they still appear to be higher than they were in the fall.

In the meantime, the Christmas and New Year season provides everyone with a built-in vacation from sports activity. And when practices do begin, athletes will welcome the opportunity to get back to a semblance of normality while renewing team camaraderie.

Meanwhile, while we wait and wonder about the beginning of winter competition, we also wonder about the new rules that might be associated with competition. It’s possible that players might have to play -- not just practice -- in masks.

I hope not. That would be weird, and maybe just a little bit extreme.

But one thing I do know: Everybody’s itching to get out there. If it means the difference between playing or not playing, I’d be willing to bet that they’d go out there in a suit of armor.