Sheldon, Iowa — Every year The Sheldon High School kicks off the fall season with a sports drink scrimmage. Those who come to attend the scrimmages are encouraged to donate sports drinks for the students in the athletic department. We talked to the coaches of the fall sports, (football, volleyball, and cross country), and asked them about this year’s season. In addition, we also talked to a senior in every sport about their last year in their sport.
Let’s kick off with the football team. Thad Dykstra, an assistant coach says that, “This scrimmage again the West Sioux team is a chance to get the guys out in front of a crowd and get used to the Friday nights to come. We will get an opportunity to see what needs to be worked on and how to improve from there. We do this as a chance to get used to playing this year and get the underclassmen some experience and to also run plays.” We asked him how COVID-19 has had an impact on the team, he replied, “We have our players bring their own waters and they practice in smaller groups to keep the kids social distancing.” We talked to Tyrel Lindemann, a senior at SHS, he says, “The scrimmage is a time to see what the team is about and how we can move forward as a team, Last year we lost a lot of key people and need a feel for what we have as a team and how we can fill these gaps we lost.”
Secondly, we take a look at the volleyball team. We asked the head coach, Heather Kizer, about what ideas she has for the team this year. She replied, “The team has been working very hard in the court and the scrimmage is a chance to show everyone just how hard they have been working. It is very gratifying to see them this year and be able to coach them. We play to show the work and effort these girls have put into the sport.” In regards to COVID-19, Kizer had this to say, “The girls had a rough summer in the means of preparation for this year’s season, they were not able to have open gym or weightlifting. Because of that, the girls have been working very hard this past month. We may start out with injuries because we are not fully in shape because we were not allowed to do anything over the summer.” We asked Brooklyn Grady, a senior at SHS, about her take on this season. She said, “This scrimmage is a practice to get better and have fun with the sport we love. I participate because I have been playing volleyball ever since I was little and this is a chance for us to play as friends and as a family.” She says COVID-19 affects her senior year because, “We are not sure what will happen this year with the coronavirus and the new regulations that come with it.”
Finally, we take a look into Cross Country this season. Although they do not have a scrimmage it is still a successful fall sport SHS participates in. Head coach Kyle Zakowski says, ” We have been preparing for our first meet by building up our mileage and improving the athlete’s bodies by getting used to the lactic acid the body gives off when you run long distances. I believe that this is important because it reduces injuries to the legs, it may give us a little set back in the season, but for the health of the athletes, it’s worth it.” We asked him how COVID-19 has affected the team, he replied, “It really hasn’t affected or changed our practices that much. I do make the kids bring their own water and ask them to not share their waters. Any stretches we would do inside we have moved outdoors and we sanitize our back rollers and any tools we use to help us stretch out muscles.” Jager Roozeboom, a senior at SHS, had this to say about his final season, “I have prepared this season by running every day in the summer for at least thirty minutes. I do cross country because I love the sport and because the atmosphere the team brings is very fun.” To the regards of COVID-19 Jager says, “It really hasn’t affected me or the team that much.” Roozeboom also wants us to know that he is excited for his senior year of cross country.
The Sheldon High School sports drink scrimmage was held this past Friday evening, August 21st.
Story by Sheldon HS Senior and KIWA Intern Ryer Dacken
