Most likely, due to COVID, all the meets scheduled for the indoor track and field season will be canceled. Replacing them will be what the coaches are calling “Joined POLAR BEAR Meets.” The details are still being finalized. Nevertheless, along with the colder weather, practices have been running as normal.

The reason for the cancelations is that the PG County Sportsplex, which was supposed to be the site for most of the meets, has been shut down temporarily due to rising complications of the pandemic. “The venue was being used as a max vaccination site and would not be available for use until after our second meet,” Sprinters Coach Mo Drammeh said.

Even though this is a setback for both the long distance and sprinting teams, both coaches are optimistic about the progress and future of their runners. “I hope that any runners that want the chance to compete can get the opportunity to and that everyone is able to get in their best shape in preparation for more meets during the outdoor track season,” Distance Coach Victoria Barry said.

Due to the rising number of COVID Cases going around, the situation is out of everyone’s control. But the training and preparation was something that couldn’t be ignored despite the circumstances. In terms of the sprinting team’s training, like the distancers, practices were held normally, but scheduling was altered by the first meet being canceled. “It did affect our training schedule, but I would say it had a positive impact. It gave us more time to get more training and technique, especially for the individuals that haven’t ran since the previous indoor season or if it is their first experience in track,” Drammeh said.

Drammeh still has high expectations for whatever the season brings and no matter how many meets are able to be run. “My expectations for the season are to have everyone improve and enjoy themselves while doing it. Everyone has different goals, but I would hope everyone is able to learn to push themselves beyond what they may have thought they were capable of. Then be able to take that understanding and work ethic to different aspects of their lives. Winning is great but not the ultimate goal for me, as long as everyone is reaching or exceeding their goals, I am good with that,” Drammeh said.

The team still has had time to have a little fun. At one of the last practices held before the start of winter break, the distance runners played a game of tag to let loose after a tough week of rough workouts. “I thought it was a lot of fun playing tag, but XC had a lot more people compared to track,” sophomore Nick Wang said.