Arlington Martin High School set a new school record with 558 student-athletes showing up for Day 1 of summer strength and conditioning camp.
Safety precautions including temperature checks and constant reminders to maintain social distancing from head football coach Bob Wager.
It’s been 80 days since the football team’s last organized workout.
“Kids, coaches, everybody involved showed up today and the first thing they wanted to do was hug each other because they missed their friends and the missed their teammates," Wager said. "But we can't do that."
“It’s a wonderful day because you get to see your fellow teammates and come out and grind together instead of being in the house and seeing each other over the phone,” rising senior linebacker Morice Blackwell said.
The coronavirus presented an unimaginable hurdle, but girls track and field coach Sa’Donna Thornton said the pandemic presented a teaching moment.
“Every single time that you step out because you don’t know when it’s going to get cut off or when it’s going to get cut short," Thornton said.
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For now, it’s one day at a time. But days like this make her counterpart on the gridiron hopeful that the 2020 football season could be played.
“The fact that we were able to get all these kids in here, get them some exercise, let them get around their teammates, that’s what gives us hope we’ll get another day and maybe another day after that and eventually we’ll be able to talk about what the fall looks like with school and sports,” Wager said.
And also talk about what high fives may look like in the future.
“If I could, I’d wrap my arms around you and tell you I love you, but I can’t so I’m going to have to do it like (a virtual flying elbow)," he said.
