Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Denver North High School JV basketball player Lilianna Bateman brings the ball up the court against Thomas Jefferson in a home game on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021.
North High School senior Shee Yusuf sat at home for months just thinking about basketball.
He kept bugging his coaches. Would there be a season? Would there be a season? He finally got word that yes, winter high school sports was on.
“It’s thrilling to be back with my family,” he said, referring to his second family of teammates and coaches. “If there wasn’t a season, it would break me down.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add comments from Summit High School Athletics and Activities Director Travis Avery.
Summit School District officials reported an outbreak of two cases among athletes on a Summit High School winter sports team on Wednesday, Jan. 27, according to a district news release.
The school’s Athletics and Activities Director Travis Avery was unable to say which sport had the outbreak or whether any teams have been placed in quarantine. The two athletes were in close contact with each other, leading the two cases to be considered an outbreak as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Avery said officials don’t believe the spread occurred at practice.
It was recently announced that Colorado high school sports will start back up later this month for the winter season, and in response we have seen some complaints about guidelines and restrictions being imposed.
Examples of restrictions include: spectators will, of course, be limited, there are face cover guidelines (basketball and hockey player will wear masks even while playing), there will be fewer games (basketball slates will be 14 games), roster sizes are limited, postseason competition is scaled back, etc.
And those who are unhappy about these guidelines are missing the point … the kids get to play again.
The Colorado High School Activities Association applied for a variance from statewide public health orders, and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment granted said waiver. Excellent. Now prep athletes across the state will get to jump back into their chosen extracurricular activities.