By Stephen Levitt ‘22, Sports Editor

As we approach the end of the term, we start to wrap up what will truly be a unique season. The end of fall sports could not have come soon enough, as the United States begins to see the worst levels of coronavirus for months. On November 9th, the United States broke a record number of coronavirus cases for the third straight day with 132,700 positive cases. Locally, New Jersey has seen a recent spike of our own with 3,202 new positive cases on November 7th. Understandably, many athletes across the NA community have re-evaluated the situation of coronavirus and their comfort with participating this fall. According to a Newark Academy athlete, “It didn’t feel safe anymore…I didn’t know who the opposing teams played.” As shown through the reactions of student-athletes like this, the fall season may have lasted too long. Thankfully for school officials and athletes alike, the end of this season will provide a break for schools across America to assess the next steps in preventing the spread of coronavirus. But what happens when these sports move indoors, where the chances of spreading coronavirus increase exponentially?

With cases on the rise, schools across the country going remote, and winter approaching, the New Jersey government is contemplating the future of winter sports. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on November 9 that all interstate indoor sports will end for elementary through high school students. However, these restrictions do not apply to collegiate or professional sports. In addition, in the past month, Governor Murphy announced that amid the rise in coronavirus cases, indoor sports like basketball and hockey could continue to resume at 25% capacity limits. While New Jersey has not yet addressed in detail the plan to execute winter sports, officials from the neighboring state, New York, have already disclosed that there are no immediate plans to allow winter sports. While New Jersey has yet to put the winter season on hold, the cancellation of the winter season seems inevitable.

This winter season, if allowed, could potentially contribute to an already high number of cases in New Jersey and nationwide. This leads to the question: even if sports are allowed this winter, will students be willing to play? In a poll conducted by the Minuteman Newspaper within Newark Academy, 23 student-athletes showed how they intend on handling this upcoming winter season. 85.7% of students who would normally play a winter sport responded that they still plan on playing. Meanwhile, a mere 9.5% of student athletes responded that they would not play, and 4.8% responded with maybe. As shown through the survey, most students felt comfortable playing this season, which is likely reflective of their confidence in Newark Academy to make the right decision. This message is shown clearly through the response of Kate Fishbone ‘22 who says, “I trust the school to make responsible calls as to whether or not it is safe to play.” While most students responded that they would participate, the sport that boasted the most athletes who plan on not participating was swimming. There were particular concerns with swimming due to the pool being “a cramped space in and outside of the water.” While it seems as if most students will not opt out of the upcoming winter season, there are certainly some concerns with the lack of space that indoor sports will provide.