Oakwood High School and Oakwood Junior High School administration along with District administration have decided to pause all athletic practices, training and competitions (including scrimmages) grades 7 - 12 starting Sunday, Dec. 6 through Friday, Dec. 18, 2020.
Given the current prevalence of sports-related quarantines in the District and an uptick of the spread of the virus within Montgomery County, District leaders believe taking a step back and focusing on keeping student-athletes in class through the end of the semester is necessary.
“Even with our successful and complete fall season, Oakwood Athletics has seen the number of winter student-athletes missing the opportunity to attend face-to-face instruction increase. It is important for those student-athletes to minimize the risk of not finishing the first semester in class. We hope this pause provides our student-athletes with the opportunity to finish first semester strong and be ready to compete later this month,” Athletic Director Laura Connor said.
“Making this decision has been difficult, as we want to provide as many positive experiences as possible for all of our students. We believe in order to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, trainers, their families and our competitors, it is essential to take this action at this time. Our hope is everyone involved in Oakwood Athletics will follow the established protocols to make sure we are all healthy when sports resume,” Oakwood Schools Superintendent Dr. Kyle Ramey said.
During this pause in activity, coaches will have the opportunity to communicate virtually with student-athletes. Players may also reach out to coaches as a resource, if needed.
Oakwood Athletics will continue to evaluate the situation in the coming weeks and communicate with families as more information becomes available.