Blaine High School Activities Director Shannon Garrety said he thought there would be no football season at all for the Bengals or anyone else in the state.
“We’re not going to have seasons that overlap,” Garrety said. “That was a fear, a lot of people’s. If they did move things to the spring, would we have seasons that overlap, and one of the reasons this happened is so kids didn’t have to make a decision between a season or a sport.”
He said he’s not surprised that some kind of adjustment had to be made.
Athletic and activities directors will work with coaches to make sure the logistics work out to make the season happen, blizzard chances and all.
“We have networks of friends around the metro and the state and we all work together,” said Garrety, who has been with the Bengals in many capacities since 1985. “Now, we’re just going to work and we’re going to figure it out and we’re going to do what’s best for kids, because that’s why we’re in this role, and I think that’s why the decisions were made by the high school league–what’s best for kids right now. We’re going to figure this out.”
Athletics, for some, take a backseat in the greater conversations about public health and safety, but Garrety said he and other youth sports leaders know the value of athletics in the school and in society.
“A lot of time, activities–whether it’s a sport, or theatre, marching band–give kids balance, and we need to remember that,” he said. “It’s about kids and about kids’ mental health as well as anything we’re talking about: competition, wins, losses, games. That all comes and goes. If we can keep our kids strong and give them the balance in life they need, then I think we’re doing our job.”
Garrety also is not worried about high school athletes who hope to continue their careers after graduation, and how this shift may or may not affect those chances.
“I don’t see the ‘next level’ being the main focus. I see this level and I see kids being able to play with their friends. You have a dream of your senior year, being with the kids you’ve played with since second grade, whatever the sport is. I don’t care what it is, and that’s what we’re really talking about,” he said. “The next level? If athletes are good enough, they’re going to find them.”
