# 2020 Fall sports, maybe



## ac12 (Jul 20, 2020)

I was recently told that the local high school has started conditioning training for football and water polo.
So we "might" see fall sports.


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## Mike Drone (Jul 20, 2020)

ac12 said:


> I was recently told that the local high school has started conditioning training for football and water polo.
> So we "might" see fall sports.



I received an email from the college president that the NCAA has approved Fall sports and the teams are conditioning for Fall sports.  The possibility is looking good.  =]


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## vintagesnaps (Jul 21, 2020)

College football in the BigTen cancelled non conference games, then I heard a couple of others were likely to be next, and sure enough... I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. 'My' sport is hockey, and there was supposed to be an announcement but there hasn't been yet. (I have season tickets to the local university's games.) 

It's likely that classes will be online or 'hybrid' etc. so it seems unlikely there will be fans in the stands shoulder to shoulder this fall/winter. Whether they'll play with no fans and TV or webcast coverage only, I don't know. No word on our season tickets yet, and the university offices (and businesses in the college town) are mostly open only limited hours with staff working from home online.


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## Space Face (Jul 21, 2020)

Our football is due to start in August.  Real football that is, what you guys call soccer


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## Mike Drone (Jul 21, 2020)

Hey now, it's Fútbol (soccer for gueros).  Americanos play fútbol de americano (NFL).


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## Space Face (Jul 21, 2020)

It's not football if you pick it up and run with it.


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## Mike Drone (Jul 21, 2020)

Rugby will always be rugby.  =]


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## Space Face (Jul 21, 2020)

Indeed.


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## ronlane (Jul 21, 2020)

I'm okay with the conferences cancelling non-conference games. But the powers that be should realize, however, that means that Notre Dame will not be making a bowl game or the play-offs.


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## SquarePeg (Jul 21, 2020)

MIAA Votes to Delay Start of Fall Sports Season to Sept. 14


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## ac12 (Jul 21, 2020)

vintagesnaps said:


> College football in the BigTen cancelled non conference games, then I heard a couple of others were likely to be next, and sure enough... I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. 'My' sport is hockey, and there was supposed to be an announcement but there hasn't been yet. (I have season tickets to the local university's games.)
> 
> It's likely that classes will be online or 'hybrid' etc. so it seems unlikely there will be fans in the stands shoulder to shoulder this fall/winter. Whether they'll play with no fans and TV or webcast coverage only, I don't know. No word on our season tickets yet, and the university offices (and businesses in the college town) are mostly open only limited hours with staff working from home online.



Even though they are doing conditioning, I don't know about the games.
The games will be close contact and in many cases, breathing in, what the others exhale.
Maybe they will ALL be forced to wear masks.  Though that obvisously won't work for water polo.

As for school, I heard that at my local HS the kids are going to school 2 days a week, and at home 3 days.  I feel sorry for the kids.  
Logistically, I just do not know HOW the admin and teachers are going to make it work.  In a full classroom, the kids are only TWO feet away from each other.  If you half the class size, the teachers have to teach twice as many classes, but HOW?

Sadly, at my HS, the lack of fans (students and parents) is the rule rather than the exception.
Varsity Football is the only sport with a decent crowd.
Afternoon games I understand as parents have to work.


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## Mike Drone (Jul 21, 2020)

ac12 said:


> In a full classroom, the kids are only TWO feet away from each other. If you half the class size, the teachers have to teach twice as many classes, but HOW?



Exactly what we are required to do!  I am only allowed 9 students in the room 6 ft apart with a class of 22.  So 9 in the classroom, 9 in the lab, 2 don't show up...  Teach.  Swap the nine and teach again.  We are on double duty for lecture and lab so now what was one lecture one lab is now four times.  That is one class.  I teach three classes a day, twelve classes a week.  The school asked us to be flexible...  : |


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## ac12 (Jul 21, 2020)

Mike Drone said:


> ac12 said:
> 
> 
> > In a full classroom, the kids are only TWO feet away from each other. If you half the class size, the teachers have to teach twice as many classes, but HOW?
> ...



Thank you


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## Mike Drone (Jul 21, 2020)

ac12 said:


> Mike Drone said:
> 
> 
> > ac12 said:
> ...



No thank you for doing what a teacher does when your kids are stuck at home.  =]


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## ac12 (Jul 22, 2020)

I just heard from the yearbook editor.  One of her staff is on the water polo team.  
Fall sports has been pushed out to winter.  
That gives the high school athletic league more time to figure out how to do sports safely.


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## ac12 (Jul 31, 2020)

Just heard at the school's webinar for the parents, that fall sports has been merged with Winter, for a 2 season year (Winter + Spring).
Winter season starts on Dec 14.
Personal feeling is that December is a "maybe," depending on the virus rate in the county.
There will be contention for the same facilities, so individual sports may have less games and/or weekend games, which we rarely had.
- Football and soccer, for the football/soccer field.  
- Girls volleyball and boys and girls basketball for the gym.


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## ronlane (Jul 31, 2020)

@ac12, we are still on track for a "normal" season start here. I talked to the Superintendent of schools briefly last night but didn't bring up the sports side, just complimented him on the job they are doing in light of the situation. (giving him my support)


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## ac12 (Jul 31, 2020)

We are "distance learning" for the 1st quarter, till Oct 9.  So the campus is effectively closed.
2nd quarter is TBD, depending on the county's infection numbers. 
They are getting ready to do a hybrid on-campus + distance (for those that don't want their kids on campus).
In the hybrid model, the distance learning will probably be taken over by the district.

The principal said no large groups, so very little spectators at sport games.
And likewise, no concerts and plays.


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## photoflyer (Jul 31, 2020)

I really hate to see High School kids lose their senior year.  College is a bit different.  They can extend another year of eligibility.  One year, when I played in college, three of the five starters on the O-line were  in grad school: Law, Business, and Education.

Currently an athlete has 5 years to complete 4 years of eligibility.  The NCAA could simply make that 6.


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## ac12 (Aug 7, 2020)

I just saw our new sport schedule.
Essentially Fall sports has been moved to Winter (new Season-1), and Winter and Spring sports combined (new Season-2).
Season-2 will run past the end of the normal school year, into mid June.
Spring sports was bad before, this year it will be TOUGH to shoot, with 13 different sports.  Then multiply by boys and girls, then multiply by JV, Varsity and some Freshman.  That is over 50 different teams.  

The AD just told me that with the compressed schedule and contention for limited facilities, there will be Saturday games.
I am hoping for day game for some of the field sports that normally play at night.  That will make it much easier for the kids to shoot.


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## ronlane (Aug 7, 2020)

I'm actually waiting to hear about protocol for where we can and can't be. Softball has home games on Monday and I have media day for the football teams tomorrow all day.


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## Derrel (Aug 7, 2020)

August 5 the Oregon OSAA pushed fall sports back to March...m


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## ac12 (Aug 8, 2020)

Derrel said:


> August 5 the Oregon OSAA pushed fall sports back to March...m



MARCH !!!   
Then they are going to be continuing the sport season into the summer.


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## ac12 (Aug 15, 2020)

I recently heard that IF Season-1/new-Winter is delayed due to Covid, Season-2/new-Spring might be cancelled.
This is because, it would be impractical to do ALL the sports in one season.  As it is, Season-2 is overloaded, and the facilities are in contention.


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## Derrel (Aug 15, 2020)

This whole thing is a big mess. now we have the pac-12 and the big ten canceling their fall sports seasons and the big 12 and the SEC and the ACC saying they are going to go forward.


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## ac12 (Aug 16, 2020)

In college it is about MONEY.  For some colleges, football brings in a LOT of revenue.
So from a finance PoV, I can see the college admin wanting to get the revenue stream flowing, or they have to cut expenses (teachers/professors, classes, maintenance, building, etc.)

And there are the die hard football people that REALLY WANT FOOTBALL, no matter what.
Just like the people that don't want to wear a mask, they don't care about the players, they want their entertainment.

I read about another issue for both high school and college players.
By not playing, the players are reducing their chances of being picked.  If they don't play, the scouts won't see them playing.
- The high school players, for college athletic scholarships.
- The college players, for professional teams.

Tough situation.


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## ronlane (Aug 21, 2020)

Hey Guys (and Ladies if you like sports), just a couple from this evenings scrimmage.

It rained some but that was no problem. Cover the camera and lens and enjoy the fact that I was shooting football again.

1) Both players with their feet off the ground.






2) Pass breakup





3) More feet off the ground.





4) Almost a pick.



 

5) Everyone is walking on clouds that football is back.


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## Derrel (Aug 22, 2020)

That lens is sharp! Great details.


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## ronlane (Aug 22, 2020)

Thanks Derrel. The rust was apparent but I think that was the operator and not the equipment.


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## ac12 (Aug 22, 2020)

ronlane said:


> Thanks Derrel. The rust was apparent but I think that was the operator and not the equipment.



Being idle for half a year dulls the reflexes.
That is a perspective that I just cannot seem to get across to many of the kids.
You cannot just go out and shoot, and expect to get great pics.
It takes a lot of work, and practice.


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## ronlane (Sep 20, 2020)

Made it through 3 weeks of HS Football here in Central Oklahoma. Been busy shooting it and my sons little league baseball games. Here's a couple from this weekend.

1) He did not catch it but made for a great shot anyway.




 

2) Close play at the plate. He was safe but our boys played hard.


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## ronlane (Nov 1, 2020)

So far we have made it through week 9, just one more regular season game left. This week, due to an Ice storm in Oklahoma, the game was moved to Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm. A Saturday afternoon HS game on Halloween, count me in any time you get daylight to shoot the game. And to top it off, the weather was warm (70's) with a final score of 47-44.

1)



 

2)


 

3)




4)




5)


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## photoflyer (Nov 1, 2020)

ronlane said:


> So far we have made it through week 9, just one more regular season game left.



Ron, you're kilin' me.  Here in VA we haven't even had week 1.  I have a new R6 and it has been great in low light.  I really want to try it out under the Friday night lights, but they're dark.  I really feel bad for the kids who are denied they're senior season...there is always next season for me and the R6.


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## ronlane (Nov 1, 2020)

photoflyer said:


> ronlane said:
> 
> 
> > So far we have made it through week 9, just one more regular season game left.
> ...



I understand, I am very thankful that these kids are getting to play their senior year. I'd share my 2020 stories to go with it but maybe at a later time.


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## ac12 (Nov 1, 2020)

ronlane said:


> So far we have made it through week 9, just one more regular season game left. This week, due to an Ice storm in Oklahoma, the game was moved to Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm. A Saturday afternoon HS game on Halloween,_* count me in any time you get daylight to shoot the game.*_ And to top it off, *the weather was warm (70's) *with a final score of 47-44.



I'm with you, on day games.

I've given up on telling the kids to shoot the DAY games.
If it is not convenient, they don't go.
I have been to only ONE day game where they showed up, and that was because I badgered them hard that week.
Then they complain about how hard it is to shoot the night games.  sigh.


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## ronlane (Nov 1, 2020)

ac12 said:


> ronlane said:
> 
> 
> > So far we have made it through week 9, just one more regular season game left. This week, due to an Ice storm in Oklahoma, the game was moved to Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm. A Saturday afternoon HS game on Halloween,_* count me in any time you get daylight to shoot the game.*_ And to top it off, *the weather was warm (70's) *with a final score of 47-44.
> ...



Love my day games. I typically get some college day games but this year, only OU, OSU and Tulsa are playing and they aren't letting in the number of media they typically do.


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## ac12 (Nov 25, 2020)

High school sports teams are doing conditioning now, with the expectation of starting practice in mid Dec.
They are doing physical conditioning, spread out with no contact.
So there is progress to a mid Dec start of sports practice.

BUT . . . with the infection numbers going up, and the expectation that Thanksgiving may/will spike the numbers, that could cause a delay and push the winter season (season 1) into spring (season 2), and that would be a MESS.  ALL the sports normally held in three seasons (fall, winter and spring) compressing and running in ONE season (spring).  So, if there is a delay in starting sports, it is possible/likely that the winter season may/will be cancelled, rather than pushed out.


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## ronlane (Nov 25, 2020)

We are just about to start basketball season but things aren't going well at this point so I don't know if we will have a season. Kinda waiting to see.


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## ac12 (Nov 28, 2020)

My county just went from red (2nd bad) to purple (worst), for COVID infections.
I think season 1 (football, water polo, volleyball and cross country) will be pushed from Dec to January.

But, I figure we will have another COVID spike after Christmas, just as we just did after Thanksgiving.  That would likely make January a purple month.  Which would then push season 1 out to February.  But that would overlap enough with season 2 (the rest of the sports), that they may end up cancelling season 1.

If we are at purple level in January, I doubt the school campus will open for classes.
Will the entire year be remote learning?

sigh


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## ac12 (Dec 15, 2020)

The CA state health department just published a youth sports guideline, of what sports are allowed at different infection level in the county.
I am glad that they looked at this based on environment (outdoor/indoor) and contact level for each sport, rather than a blanket rule for all sports.
The highlighted sports are the ones that my high school participates in.​
We are in purple now, with the Christmas spike yet to hit.   
I don't see us getting to orange soon, so I think season 1; football, volleyball and water polo are very likely dead.

Start of competition games have been pushed to Jan 25, at the soonest, and subject to pushing out further based on covid infection numbers in Dec.

Sigh.  It is a very bad year, for the kids.


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## ac12 (Jan 13, 2021)

Well fall has come and gone, and we are still shut down.
And things are BAD, with available ICU beds below 5%, with some hospitals at ZERO.
So, we have a long way to go.

The only sport activity allowed right now, is conditioning in "pods."  Pods are small groups of student athletes.  I think the ides is IF one of the students gets covid, you only shut down that ONE pod, not the entire team.  Though they are limited by the number of coaches available.  They still have to maintain distancing while conditioning.  I was out shooting some of them today, and it was nice to get back to shooting. 

When sports opens up, the talk is that only the non-contact sports (purple tier in chart above) will be allowed.  So the entire sport schedule will be rearranged and dependent on the infection level.  Example swimming and diving are spring/3rd season sports, but may be one of the first sports started, because they are "non-contact" sports.  And if we never get down to orange tier, football and soccer will not be played, this school year.


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## ronlane (Jan 14, 2021)

Sorry to hear that AC. We are still playing winter sports here. I'm not shooting much but honestly shooting 24 basketball games in 3 days just made me tired.

I have competitive cheer season starting this weekend and have something like 15 teams to shoot.


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## ac12 (Jan 14, 2021)

Well it is what it is, and as much as I don't like having no sports to shoot, I agree with minimizing the chances of spreading the infection.  
I'm too old for what you did, 24 games in 3 days. A quad, 4 games in one day, one right after the other, has me worn out.
I'm not sure how many more years of high school sport shooting I have left in me.  I had planned on a reduced schedule this year, to shoot only two or three games for each sport.


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## ronlane (Jan 15, 2021)

@ac12, it was tough on me the second day for sure. The last day wasn't too bad as I had gotten used to it. I have done this tournament the last two years and this year, I was pretty much the only person on that end and corner of the court. So I had a stadium seat with a memory foam pillow to sit on the floor, a little tripod stool with a back on it to sit up and then I could stand up all along the baseline.


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## ac12 (Jan 17, 2021)

ronlane said:


> @ac12, it was tough on me the second day for sure. The last day wasn't too bad as I had gotten used to it. I have done this tournament the last two years and this year, I was pretty much the only person on that end and corner of the court. So I had a stadium seat with a memory foam pillow to sit on the floor, a little tripod stool with a back on it to sit up and then I could stand up all along the baseline.



I like the foam pillow.   hmmm
I've been sitting more at basketball and volleyball games.


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## ac12 (Jan 19, 2021)

Water polo and outside weight training stinks.
The light level was VERY LOW.  I wasn't expecting that.  I had never been to those venues at night, but did not expect them to be so dim/dark.
I had to shoot at ISO 25600, because I was using the 18-140.  Yeah bad choice, SLOW lens.  It looked OK on the back of the camera, but on the computer it STUNK.  High ISO noise made the skin look real splotchy, yuk.  
Next time, I'm taking the 50/1.8, so I can shoot at ISO 6400 or 3200.  In LOW light, fast glass wins.
One more lesson to teach the kids.


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