This year has been pretty crazy and starting off sports seasons has been very different as players and coaches have been adapting to the new COVID-19 regulations. The Canyon Athletic Association and the Imagine Prep sports program have enforced these rules in order to keep players and others safe to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A few of the new regulations are temperature checks to anyone entering the building along with a questionnaire on how they feel and who they have been in contact with, wearing a mask during warmups, no spectators allowed on game days, players are not allowed to high five the opposing team before the start of the game instead they must wave from a distance, the players do not switch sides of the courts after a set, and all seats and bleachers, or anything that came in contact with anyone must be disinfected and wiped down with a disinfectant spray. 

Varsity volleyball coach Billy Hobbs said the biggest change to the season is having the same amount of games squished into a smaller schedule.

“The biggest change has been the condensed schedule,” Billy Hobbs said. “In order to get the season completed, we schedule quite a few games in a short period.  This means less practice time and opportunities to prepare.  Overall, I feel the team has adapted well, but we are feeling it a bit with some nagging injuries.” 

The team’s captain, senior Riley Hobbs, has said that having fans was a big source of energy for herself and the team. 

“Fans for our team is a big energy source for when we get down, we have our crowd and teammates to pick us back up,” Riley Hobbs said. “The social distancing and not being able to have people there is probably the saddest part.”

Coach Sara Hobbs feels that when she is wearing her mask it makes it hard for her to communicate with the team.

“The rule that is hardest for me personally is the face mask,” Coach Sara said. “It is really hard to communicate with players on and off the court. Facial expressions are so vital to coaching. I may be smiling and encouraging them, but they can’t see it. During the noise of the game, I have to be so much louder to be heard. Especially if I am trying to talk to one player on the court. Then, when we are in practice,  if we join the physical activity, it is super hard to breathe.”

Billy Hobbs said that he doesn’t feel any of the rules are hard to follow, just that they take a bit of extra time.

“I don’t believe any of them are necessarily hard to follow,” Billy said. “The temperature checks and logging can be time consuming, but the one I wish we didn’t have to comply with is the no fans at home games.”

Athletic director, Coach Sean Sachau has felt that the new rules made for the season have helped the team stay safe.

“We have had zero cases with our current mitigation plan,” Sachau said. “We plan on continuing this into the winter and spring season.” 

Sauchau also feels that if other schools follow the right protocols then next year sports and school could be more normal.

“I think if all schools follow all necessary protocols and CDC requirements we can get back to some sort of normalcy next year,” Sachau said.

As the COVID-19 cases rise in Arizona the team has had to deal with the rules getting a bit stricter, but the whole team agrees that they would rather have a season and learn to live with these rules, opposed to having no season at all.