Athletics at Allen Community College make up the vast majority of the student body. Many student-athletes came into the fall very hopeful for a chance to show what they can do on the field or on the court. COVID-19 seems to have other plans.

While for about a month and a half the stars looked to be aligning for Allen Athletics, a very rapid increase in Coronavirus cases brought hopeful spirits down. Many of the teams are now being forced to drop back down to what is known as “Stage 2” of the Allen Community College Athletics Operational Plan for COVID-19.

The Plan is a Four Stage protocol that is designed to help control and contain COVID-19 as best possible. Stage 1 means no practice, scrimmages or games, or any use of on campus athletic equipment. Stage 2 is a two-week period where teams can have 50% capacity practices, but still no scrimmages. If Stage 2 is successful, after the two weeks, Stage 3 begins and practices can return mostly to normal, and the weight room can also be used with a maximum of 25 athletes at a time, and 40 total in the activities building. Following two weeks and Stage 3 completion, Stage 4 returns everything to normalcy, including water at practice and use of activities building and weight room at said capacities above.

The Athletic Department was set to return all sports back to Stage 4 before a plethora of student-athletes contracted COVID-19. Five Allen teams reported at least two positive tests and were forced to quarantine, thus moving everything back to Stage 2 following isolation.

Athletic trainer Shane Venteicher informed the baseball team what to expect via group chat, stating that “due to multiple of your teammates testing positive, all [men’s baseball players] have to quarantine for 14 days.”

This echoes the meeting Venteicher held at the beginning of the year notifying everyone of the quarantine protocol for athletes. “If two or more of your teammates tests positive, you will have to quarantine for 14 days, and the team will be set back to Stage 2 of the COVID Plan.”

Now with five teams at Allen being forced to return to Stage 2, this means 50% practice again and no scrimmages, games or activities building usage for two more weeks. The athletes are to fill out COVID-19 surveys every morning and encouraged to get tested if feeling ill.

Unfortunately, those teams will be unable to participate in full practices and the baseball team has yet to return at all, but there are still a few teams such as men’s and women’s basketball and the softball team that are able to move on barring any complications. The hope is to move forward from here and keep everyone safe at the same time.