Whistles blow and players come together in the center of the court to celebrate winning a point. The Legacy volleyball team wins another match. In a normal year, this would be when the two teams switch sides of the court, but because of Covid-19 teams remain on one side for the entirety of the game.
This is just one of the new rules volleyball teams now have to follow to the pandemic. Players practice social distancing on the benches and are required to wear masks when not in the game. Hand sanitizer is also given to each player checking in and out of the game.
After winning the final two district seeding games and improving to 11-2, the Broncos have secured second place in district, trailing on the Burleson Elks. The Broncos will play Trimble Tech in the bi-district round on Nov. 19, at Legacy.
The fans have also been experiencing new challenges this year.
“There are fewer fans than normal, but we have video streaming available for home games to fans that are unable or choose not to attend,” Coach Shingleton said.
With fewer fans in the stands and the new rules on the court, the players’ experience changes from the previous year. This is hard on the players that have taken part in the past seasons.
“We still need to remind them of a few practice protocols and social distancing, but they have been doing a great job adapting to the new rules,” Shingleton said.
All of these rules have been put in place to keep players and coaches safe and limit the number of games that get postponed or cancelled. So far this has only happened once for the team.
“We did not play last week due to Crowley’s varsity volleyball team being quarantined,” Shingleton said. “We are making those matches up on Saturday and Monday.”
Cancellations can be seen as a setback or a time to rest and recharge. Senior Skai Jones looks at the positives of the situation.
“The cancellations give us more time to practice and focus on our next opponent,” Jones said. “We now have the mindset to take each day one at a time because we don’t know what can happen because of COVID.”
Taking one day at a time allows the Broncos to find joy in the small things and take pride in both practice and games.
“It’s been difficult, but we’ve become disciplined as a team and have been taught to adapt to anything that comes at us,” Jones said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to play, and do all we can to prepare for the next game.”
