THE SPORTS WORLD CONTINUES TO BE SHUTDOWN AS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTINUES. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO GOVERNOR MARK GORDON ADDRESSED THE PUBLIC HEALTH ORDERS THAT WERE IN PLACE AND BEGAN EASING UP ON SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE. CODY HIGH SCHOOL WILL REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH STUDENTS TAKING ONLINE CLASSES. BUT WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CODY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT? CODY ATHLETIC DIRECTOR TONY HULT SHARES THE NEXT STEPS.
“WE’RE HOPING THINGS GO WELL AND THAT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WE CAN GET OUR ATHLETES BACK, GETTING IN SHAPE AND DOING THE STUFF THEY NORMALLY DO IN THE SUMMER. IT’S ALL KIND OF UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW. MOST OF THE COLLEGES HAVE CANCELED THEIR JUNE CAMPS AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS. WE HAVE CANCELED ALL OF OUR LOCAL DEALS FOR JUNE. WE’RE HOPING THAT IN JULY WE CAN GET BACK.”
MR. HULT GOES ON TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CONTINGENCY PLANS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AMONG WYOMING AD’S.
“OUR LOCAL COACHES HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING YET, AS FAR AS SPECIFICS BECAUSE WE’RE HAVING COMMITTEES FOR ALL FALL SPORTS, AND LIKE I’VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE, WE’VE GOT BENCHMARKS. WE’RE STARTING TO DEVELOP THOSE BENCHMARKS OF WHAT IF WE CAN START BACK JUNE FIRST, WHAT CAN WE START BACK JUNE 15TH, WHAT IF WE START BACK JULY FIRST. SO ALL THOSE THINGS HAVE GOT TO BE PUT IN PLACE AND THERE’S SO MANY UNKNOWN THINGS AHEAD. I’M HOPING THAT HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS, WE GET SOME DIRECTION AND WE REALLY KNOW WHAT WE CAN DO.”
HE ALSO DISCUSSES THE EFFECT OF GETTING BACK IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AS A TEAM.
“START DEVELOPING SOME GROUPS AND HAVE KIDS COME IN THE WEIGHT ROOM AND THEN GO DO OTHER STUFF AND BE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE, AND SOCIALLY AWARE OF WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING BUT GET OUR KIDS BACK DOING STUFF. I KNOW THEIR’S KIDS THAT ARE WORKING OUT. I THINK MOST KIDS ARE BUT THEY’RE NOT WORKING OUT LIKE THEY WOULD IF THEY WERE ALL TOGETHER CAUSE YOU BUILD THAT CHEMISTRY, YOU BUILD THAT TEAMWORK TOGETHER. WE WANT TO GET THEM BACK HERE AND START HAVING THEM EXPERIENCE ALL THOSE THINGS YOU GET OUT OF ACTIVITIES AND OUR COACHES ARE CHOMPING AT THE BIT WANTING TO GET THINGS GOING HERE.”
AND HE ENDS THE INTERVIEW WITH A MESSAGE FOR THE UNDERCLASSMEN.
“I’M HOPING OUR YOUNGER KIDS LOOK AT THIS AND SAY ‘MAN, THIS WAS TAKING AWAY FROM ME AND HOW MUCH I ENJOY IT.’ MAYBE THEY’LL COME BACK WITH EVEN MORE SENSE OF URGENCY, WORK EVEN HARDER THAN THEY’VE HAD CAUSE THEY THINK ‘I’VE MISSED THREE MONTHS OF MY LIFE THAT I’M NOT GONNA GET BACK. I’M NOT GONNA WASTE MY NEXT YEAR OR MY NEXT TWO OR THREE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL. AND THEY’LL COME BACK AND EVEN WORK HARDER AT IT. I KNOW THAT’S PART OF WHAT OUR AD’S, WE’VE TALKED ABOUT. WE THOUGHT ‘YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME OF THESE KIDS THAT HAVE, THAT JUST LOVE IT OR WANT TO DO IT, HAVE MISSED SO BAD THAT MAYBE THEY’LL COME BACK AND EVEN WORK HARDER THAN THEY THINK THEY CAN.”
STAY TUNED TO THE BIG HORN RADIO NETWORK FOR MORE ON CODY ATHLETICS.
