The Clouded Future of Milton Sports

BY LUKE MONNICH ‘21

Each new year at Milton brings with it the promise and anticipation of fall sports. Many students spend hours in the grueling summer heat in order to prepare themselves for their fall practices, games, and meets. Fall sports are a great way to start the year, as new students can make friends and returning students can build upon relationships from previous years. This fall, however, sports look a little bit different. 

Each afternoon, many of us find ourselves in front of a screen instead of on a field. Zoom has become our new normal for not only schoolwork, but also for sports. Nonetheless, only one week has passed, and yet the fall season already seems to be in full swing. Now that students have had their first practices, two questions present themselves. What do teams do on zoom? What do students think about this new system?

The girls’ soccer team quickly familiarized itself with zoom. According to captain Eliza Dunn (Class I), the Wolfpack is currently holding daily practices from 4:00-5:30 pm. They use this brief period of time in many ways, such as to work on ball technique, general conditioning, and even team building. But most importantly, Eliza says that the team tries “to vary practice time so it’s not just another hour on zoom after an entire day of school online.”

Something very different about this year’s girls’ soccer team is the absence of skill based cuts. Previously, the Wolfpack held preseason tryouts in order to set their lineup before the first week of school. This lack of cuts, however, is not necessarily detrimental for the team. Eliza loves seeing “so many new faces!” although “it’s obviously tough to bond over zoom” with the new players. Although zoom prevents many of the traditions athletes look forward to, girls’ soccer is trying to see over any obstacles and “develop a sense of team spirit!"

The boys’ football players have also found themselves having to adapt to a brand new system. Unlike last year’s impressive 8-1 season New England Championship appearance, this year’s workouts and scheme discussions take place through a screen. Jack Blais (Class I) says that the team practices run from 4:00-6:00 pm, and these two hours are split between conditioning and play-drawing sessions on zoom. 

But, unlike the girls’ soccer team, opinions about football’s new system are not always positive. Luca Mostofi (Class I) wishes that the football team was on the field. After all, he points out that "the Patriots are playing. The Crimson Tide are playing. ... [even] Dexter is playing!" Luckily, the football team has scrimmages scheduled against other schools. Although social distancing guidelines might make these scrimmages feel like a completely different sport, at least the football team will be on the field. 

This year, every team is on their own. No longer can they rely on schedules from past years; each team needs to completely reinvent itself in order to create a gratifying and competitive season; however, with this need to create new traditions and legacies, teams have the ability to reinvent themselves. Players and coaches have the ability to mold their teams as much as they want this year. They can solve problems, design new ways to bring the team together, and even create lasting memories. The athletes hold the fate of their seasons in their own hands. 

So, when we wonder if sports will ever return to normal, the answer is most likely no. The old way of playing sports no longer exists. From this point forward, teams must decide how they want to function in the future. Teams must decide if they will long for the past or adapt to the new normal.