Less than 48 hours before their game against Mills High School, JV boys water polo became the latest Carlmont sports team to fall victim to COVID-19 safety protocols.
On Monday night, the team was informed that a teammate had tested positive for COVID-19, and the game scheduled for Tuesday was canceled.
Justine Hedlund, the head coach of the JV boys water polo team, has been absent due to maternity leave, but her co-coach, Gifford Calenda, has been handling all responsibilities and notified the team right away of the positive test result. The team is currently undergoing a testing process, and practices are expected to return as early as Friday. The athletic department is looking to reschedule the game against Mills to Friday, Oct. 22.
“If you’re postponing and/or canceling a game, you’re actually being safe,” said Patrick Smith, Carlmont’s athletic director.
Before this week and prior to being threatened by COVID, the Scots had been aiming to improve their 1-3 record.
“We had a chance against this team, so it would’ve been nice to play,” said Alex Makeev, a sophomore at Carlmont.
Tuesday’s scheduled competitor, Mills High School, has played only one game this season that ended in a loss to Hillsdale High School.
Aside from worries about the JV boys water polo team, the nature of Tuesday’s cancelation also raised concerns from members of other Carlmont athletic teams.
“It would really suck to shut down sports because I feel like that’s such a key thing in making us feel somewhat normal again […] and to take it away because someone got sick would be really unfortunate,” said Katelyn Gambarin, a senior girls water polo player.
However, the water polo team spirit has not suffered as a result of the cancelation. Morale for the rest of the season is still high, and the team plans to dive headfirst back into their training once they get cleared to resume practices.
“They are a pretty tight-knit group over the years […] I think it’s just going to be something that they understand,” Smith said. “It is what it is, and when they get the chance to jump back in the pool, they’ll be ready to go.”
The cancellation could impact the team’s physical strength, but there are things individual players have adapted to ensure they don’t lose conditioning.
“Obviously, they can’t be in a pool, but you know at home you can always do things to make sure you stay in tip-top shape, and I know they all know the things they can do, so then it just depends on will and desire,” Smith said.
In addition to maintaining their conditioning, the team hopes to recover from this setback and work harder towards the rest of the season.
“Our goals still stay the same, we just still want to win and have fun, but I think we’re definitely going to be a little more cautious next time,” said Brendan Zelnis, a sophomore at Carlmont.
