Spring sports had an abrupt end last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but this year spring sports are in full swing. All spring sports started practices after school on Mar. 1. There are seven different spring sports at NHS for students to participate in: softball, girls soccer, girls swim, baseball, boys golf, boys tennis and track. 

To practice in a spring sport this year you must fill out a COVID-19 questionnaire, pay for the participation fee and have a physical on file through the school office. Each sport typically has tryouts to see what the placement for that student would be whether that be junior varsity (JV) or varsity. 

“At track our tryouts are more of who runs the faster time for varsity or junior varsity,” senior Elijah Edwards said. “We have time trials to see where everyone is at in their event. Usually just one day. The hardest part is doing the workouts off the track and on your own. It can be lonely putting in work alone but that work pays off.”

Girls soccer season is held in the spring while the boys season is held in the fall. Girls soccer participants practice at Athletic Park inside the stadium at Fischer Field. Freshman Sophia Houser has been participating in soccer since she was four years old. 

“I’m most excited about learning to play with new girls and getting to know my teammates more than just because we play together,” Houser said. “I plan on playing soccer in college because soccer has always been my main sport and a really big part of my personality.”

The tennis team starts its practice with drills which consist of hitting and throwing the ball back and forth between players. The team wears their masks during practice and try to stay six feet apart whenever possible.

“We aren’t having tryouts but I’m definitely nervous,” freshman Landon Lunsford said. “I just started playing [tennis] this summer. The backhand is very difficult for me.”

Some sports have ‘cuts’ during tryout week. Getting ‘cut’ means that the student was not chosen to participate. The swim team is required to wear masks on the pool deck and on the sidelines during practice and swim meets. 

“We’re not having cuts which makes me feel a lot better but it is nerve-wracking to do something that is somewhat new to me,” sophomore Lindsey Warsnak said. “I started swimming last year but we only had a few weeks of practice before it got cancelled so I’ve only swam for about a month.”

Boys golf hosts their practices at Sand Creek Station each day. They try to maintain a six foot distance whenever possible. A typical practice lasts two and a half hours in which they play different holes around the course. 

“I did golf my freshman year as a joke and I ended up really liking the sport so I’m planning on playing all four years,” junior Clayton Smith said. “I’ve been practicing a lot in the pre-season and I know making varsity won’t be too hard.”

Multiple extracurricular activities, like football, have had to go into quarantine this year due to participants being exposed or testing positive for the virus. Even with COVID-19 restrictions, the varsity baseball team still plans to have their first game on Mar. 10 at the Emporia White Auditorium. 

“COVID will always be a factor now so getting quarantined is always a risk, but I definitely think it is a risk everyone is willing to take with losing our season last year,” senior Trev Golubski said. “We all have to do our part and be safe and responsible to make sure we do not get shut down.”

The softball team’s first game of the season is planned for Mar. 25. The first home game for softball is planned to be hosted Apr. 1 at Kelsch Field, Athletic Park. During practice the team dresses in full uniform, typically wearing knee high socks, metal cleats, sliding shorts, softball pants with a belt and an accompanying t-shirt.

“During tryouts, we will occasionally go to different positions just so coaches can see but we also go to the spot we want,” junior Jennifer Rubio said. “We work on fielding, throwing and hitting and knowledge of the game during a “live play.” During practice we do a lot of game scenarios and we continue to work on our skills.”