High schools in San Luis Obispo County were able to practice as teams on Monday for the first time since March but in much different circumstances.
Athletes have to social distance, no balls can be used, and athletes must be in pods of no more than 14. The teams have to abide by all county guidelines in order to continue practicing. At San Luis Obispo High School, football, cross country, and boys water polo teams were back at the school and practicing Monday, with the remainder of the fall teams returning to practice Tuesday.
SLO Football Head Coach, Pat Johnston, says his team will use this time for conditioning and drills until they can return to contact drills. Johnston says it feels great to have his team back together, regardless of the circumstances.
“Athletics is a great thing for teenagers. It's assemblance of organization, of purpose, of discipline; all these things that these students crave, whether they like to admit it or not,” said Johnston. “Them being able to show up and be with their teammates, I have a really good feeling it's going to do wonders for their mentality, while they're distance learning, to have this to look forward to at the end of the school day.”
Johnston says the school's main goal is to keep their students safe and to follow county guidelines to the best of their abilities.
