Youth sports continue amidst the pandemic

By Anisha Dhakal,

BlueDevilHUB.com Editor–

Davis is a haven for youth sports. Countless teams play year round, utilizing city parks as well as indoor facilities. 

Many Davis High students have been coaching youth sports. For two and a half months, since the beginning of the pandemic, senior Dante Romero has coached a student with baseball.

“I started coaching him because I kinda wanted to give back to the community in some sort of way and helping the younger generations of Davis High baseball players and showing them what the program is all about so I figured why not,” Romero said. 

Romero learned to throw a ball before he could walk and has been playing baseball ever since. After a painful experience with soccer, he decided baseball was the sport for him. 

“It’s important to build some chemistry with the younger guys coming in because they’re probably scared and just to get them more comfortable with the program,” Romero said. 

The global pandemic has put a damper on the youth sports.

Eighth grader Devin Boeger attending Harper Junior High participates in soccer year-round. When the pandemic began, all practices were canceled. However, as time went on, restrictions were added that eventually allowed Boeger and his team to get back to the field. 

“We have to wear masks at all times unless we are doing a running drill, maintaining six feet of distance during our practices,” Boeger said. “It makes it really hard to breathe when we wear the mask, but we know we have to wear them unless we are running.”

Other programs including the City of Davis aquatic program had to make adjustments to fit local protocols. 

Senior Alejandro Johnson has been teaching swim lessons through the city for two years. As a swimmer for 13 years, Johnson loves spending time in the water and has continued his passion throughout the years. 

“I wanted to be a good role model to future swimmers to give the swim experience because I had a good swim teacher when I was younger so I want to do the same for others,” Johnson said. “The biggest change due to COVID is that the instructors are on the decks with masks on while the parents are in the water with their kid and each lane only accommodates one pair.” 

Keeping safety in mind, other restrictions placed by the City of Davis include sanitizing equipment between sessions, mask requirements went out of the pool, and designated areas six feet apart for coworkers to stay while on break to ensure the safety of everyone at the facilities.