By Raven Bautista, staff writer
After last year’s varsity Galileo baseball season was cut short after only 3 games, due to school being closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the team is finally able to get back on the field. April 12th marked the start of spring sports again and the Lions are ready to roar back on the diamond. This will be an abbreviated season though as the team will only be playing 4 games.
In March the SF school board approved of the plan to allow High School sports to return, but in limited capacity. “We are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to our students after a year of physical isolation,” SF Board of Education President Gabriela Lopez said. “Sports offer students a valuable opportunity for connection and interaction.”
Galileo baseball coaches are excited to be able to share the field with the players once again, even though it required a bit more training than usual because of the safety protocols that had to be in place. Coach Todd said, “Personally, the only paperwork I had to do was complete certain coach training courses and provide the training certificates to the Athletic Director. Coaches have several training and certifications they are responsible to keep current so they remain eligible to coach. This year we had to complete three trainings, specific to COVID health & safety.”
Coach Todd talked about what the players needed to do in order to return to the field. He said, “Like any other season, players have several documents they need to prepare, complete, and sign that make them “cleared” for athletic participation. This year I believe players had 3-4 extra documents that were specific to COVID,” but he also adds, “Motivation is high among all parties to complete necessary paperwork & follow the necessary procedures.”
The team must also follow a number of in-person precautions, such as screenings before and after entering the field, mask wearing during practice, hand sanitizing, and 6 feet distancing practices.
Despite the extra work & safety precautions the players have to go through most players are extremely happy to be able to play again and be back on the field. Senior catcher Nick Rossi said, “[I’m] hype to have a senior season, glad to finally be able to do something again.”
Senior outfielder Maxwell Yang, adds, “I feel good that baseball is back because I have been home for so long and now I can finally go out and do something I enjoy,”
