KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A health order that restricts fall school sports in Wyandotte County begins Friday, prompting more than a dozen student-athletes and their parents to protest outside the Wyandotte County Public Health Department.
Most high school competitions are being stopped in Wyandotte County, although student-athletes can still conduct practices and conditioning with social distancing in place.
That’s little consolation to a group of high schoolers, most of whom are seniors.
Many were looking forward to playing sports this fall in hopes of getting scholarships for college.
Some told FOX4 not being able to play is depressing, and both students and their parents believe they can compete safely with proper protocols in place.
“This has been completely ripped from us,” Beth Huisman, a Piper High School parent, said. “In the spring, they stopped school suddenly and said it’s only two weeks to slow the spread, which is why we had to shut everything down. They ripped sports and everything away. The kids all summer have been practicing and conditioning to try out in the fall, with the hope they would have something in the fall. And this has been ripped away from them again?”
Some students cherish the family atmosphere that being part of a team provides. They said they feel safer from the virus practicing at school than being at home.
Wyandotte County has the highest rate of positive COVID-19 cases in the metro area. The health department said seeing outbreaks tied to sports in other states played a role in their decision.
Some students hope that if they can’t play this fall, games can be moved to the spring, so that their high school career doesn’t end on such a downer.
