Wrestling squad scraps for a COVID-free season

by Clay Boeninger

The wrestling team celebrates Aahmodd Pardue and Dylan Wogerman placing at last year’s John Deno Invitational. The meet will look a lot different this year now that COVID-19 protocols are in place. Photo by: Aahmodd Pardue

As COVID-19 cases rise to record highs across the nation, the AHS wrestling team is doing everything possible to prevent transmission whilst competing at a high level.

Rick Guimond, the Athletic Director at AHS, says that to prevent inter-squad transmission, the events that teams are attending and hosting will be severely limited. In years past, anywhere from twenty to thirty teams attended the John Deno Invitational hosted at AHS. But this year, the Athletic Department is aiming for around eight.

“We’re moving towards smaller events like quads, tris, and duals instead of the larger invitationals,” said Guimond.

The team also cleans routinely and completes daily health checks, according to head coach Paul Kaiser. Kaiser, a longtime coach and former D1 wrestler, intends to guide athletes deep into the postseason.

Chief among those athletes is senior Drake George, the Sectional champion last year. George is now tasked with leading his teammates through a tumultuous year. However, George does not notice much difference between this season and those in the past.

“This year is like any other year,” said George. “We have those that want to succeed and those that don’t yet know they want to succeed.”

As they strive for a sense of normalcy, coaches and athletes have to wrestle with the reality of a pandemic. Unlike most other sports, wrestlers are in contact with their opponent the entire time they are competing, leading to concerns about COVID-19 transmission. Although wrestlers are under the fifteen-minute window where virus transmission is at its height, “Wrestling presents its own unique kind of issues,” said Guimond. “This is a constant contact sport.”

Guimond is trying to institute protocols that will curb transmission as effectively as possible. Wrestlers and other athletes are consistently asked to wear masks while not competing. Moreover, athletes are required to socially distance whenever possible, albeit difficult in a sport demanding contact as close as wrestling.

Nonetheless, coaches, athletes, and officials are doing everything possible to carry on with the season. Currently, the athletic department is waiting for further guidance from higher authorities such as the Governor, the OHSAA, or the local health department. As cases rise, there is a possibility that Gov. DeWine may take executive action to limit transmission of the virus and that school sports may be suspended.

On November 17, Gov. DeWine announced a statewide curfew that will be in effect for three weeks. Some speculate that limitations on school sports and other gatherings could be next.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Kaiser hopes that “these young men that have trained for many years get a chance to see their dreams come true.”