After such a long time of athletes not being able to play sports, the main question is, “Are students ready?” or “Are athletes happy about coming back?” After talking to athletes around school, they can answer some of the questions. All the athletes I spoke to are excited to finally get back into sports; after such a long time of very few sports, they are ready to get back in.

Some students feel fully prepared to finally get to play again, although, on the other hand, one athlete I spoke to said he needs to get his body back into shape. When sports weren’t an option student-athletes were sad. They felt unactive. They had few connections with friends on their teams, and school didn’t feel like school.

I asked the question, “Do you feel more pressured since kids are seeing sports after so long?” The closest final answer depends on what the students expect. If they expect something big that may be concerning, but if they expect the usual that may ease athletes a little bit. It can also be a plus that students expect more. One student I spoke to said she would feel better if she was cheered on.

Some athletes started new sports, some didn’t. It was 50/50, lots of kids joined new sports because only a few sports were available last year. The last question I asked was, “Do you feel like teams are ready?” For the most part, the answer was yes. They don’t expect the first games to be amazing but after a while, they say things should get better.

Overall, athletes feel as though they are ready to finally start sports again.