DANBURY — Nick Smith dreams of playing football in college. But if the incoming junior at Danbury High School cannot play this year, he does not know whether the colleges will notice him.
“I just really want to have a football season this year because it means a lot to me,” said Smith, who also plays basketball and baseball.
Smith was among the high school athletes and parents who gathered in front of City Hall on Tuesday evening to protest the pause on high school sports and cancellation of youth leagues due to a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
“Let us play,” the about 20 teens, many of whom are on the high school’s football and cheerleading teams, occasionally shouted as rain poured down.
Parents and athletes said sports are needed for students’ mental health and to give them opportunities to earn college scholarships, among other reasons.
“A lot of kids rely on sports,” said Terrance Joyner, a Danbury father and longtime coach. “A lot of families rely on sports because sometimes, in some situations, sports can be what takes a child and elevates his future.”
Continued… pic.twitter.com/xy0I6KAZ0x
— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) August 25, 2020
But city officials have said it’s not safe for athletes to practice and play amid a rising number of new coronavirus cases, some of which contract tracing has showed have spread through youth leagues.
“If you’re running around the field, maybe you don’t (spread the virus),” Mayor Mark Boughton said in a recent Facebook Live. “But if you’re sitting on the bench next to each other, then you do.”
This prompted the city to cancel youth sports effective Monday, while high school sports were paused for the next two weeks. The school’s athletic director has said he hopes students can practice again beginning Labor Day.
Danbury’s rate of infection is about 7 percent, compared to less than 1 percent for the state. Twenty-five cases were reported Tuesday, while there were 15 new cases Monday; Friday saw 44 new cases, the most the city had seen in numerous weeks.
However, parents said the cancellation was not fair. Cases have also been linked to places of worship, parties, and national and international travel, while parents and athletes said youth have followed all guidelines to prevent the spread, they argue.
“The kids are being punished for something, I believe, is not their fault,” said Cheryl Radachowsky, a board member for Hat City Youth Sports whose twins play numerous sports at the high school.
Parents and athletes have been left out of the conversation about resuming and canceling, she added.
“It’s been very frustrating, the back and forth over whether there will be sports at the high school level,” Radachowsky said, noting she was unaware of any cases in youth sports.
But Boughton said privacy laws prevent the city from informing the leagues. Families who were exposed were contacted directly.
Danbury Football player Dylan Joyner speaks pic.twitter.com/p9Wi8f6ppg
— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) August 25, 2020
“We’re not blaming it on any sport,” he said. “No sport brought in COVID. It’s: Where is it being transmitted?”
The city found through interviews of players and families that it spread through soccer and baseball leagues, perhaps from athletes sitting too close on benches, Boughton said.
Before every practice this summer, the football players have reported to the nurse to be checked for symptoms of the virus, Smith said and are required to wear masks when they are not physically active.
Stephanie Miller, a mother of a Danbury cheerleader, explains why she believes sports should be played pic.twitter.com/G2mrav2R8W
— Will Aldam (@AldamWill) August 25, 2020
Players have been happy to be back on the field, but there has been trepidation, too, he said.
“We know the rug could be slipped out in front of us at any time,” said Smith, who held signs that read ‘Sports define me’ and ‘Sports is more than just a game.’
His teammate Dylan Joyner said football has taught him life lessons and helped him make friends.
“Football is an outlet for me to really create new bonds, relationships,” said Joyner, gesturing to his teammates standing behind him. “These dudes, these are family to me. … Without football, I don’t know where I’d be today.”
