MASK UP, MINNEOTA

There weren't this many masks at an event since eight members of the Jesse James/Cole Younger gang robbed the Northfield bank in 1876.
Okay, so maybe's that's a bit of a stretch. But when witnessing a high school basketball game this season, it's a bit unnerving to see the players, coaches, officials and even the crowd all having their nose and mouth covered by cloth.
The Minnesota State High School League decided to mandate masks for athletes during the 2021 winter sports season, per Governor Walz, with the exception of wrestlers and swimmers. Athletes in the fall were not required to wear masks this past season.
The biggest complaint heard around the state from print, broadcast and social media isn't so much that the athletes have to run around with facial coverings while trying to catch their breath. It's that wrestlers and swimmers are able to participate with no facial coverings even though they have much closer physical contact with one another and would be much more susceptible to contracting or spreading COVID-19.
Obviously, it would be nearly impossible to wrestle with a mask on as it would constantly be pulled off during a match. Wrestlers still maintain social distancing as best they can in practice and meets other than a one-on-one match.
Basketball players, which started the season without having to wear facial coverings, have dealt with an adjustment period while wearing a mask in practice and games so far in 2021. Some have adjusted well, while other admit they haven't.
"I still am not sure I am entirely used to wearing the mask yet," said Minneota senior Jacob Hennen. "It feels like every day I am adjusting my body and my breathing to more and more to adhere to the mask."
"The first day of practice, I actually wore a cloth mask, and had to switch to a disposable one halfway through the practice," said junior McKenna Yost. "It is not as bad now having to wear a mask and running up and down the court, but it would be very nice if the players did not have to."
"It has taken some time to get used to the masks, but they have gotten better as the season has gone by," said senior Jacob Citterman. "I still notice that I am wearing them during games and practices and I feel like I always will."
North Dakota does not require its prep athletes to wear masks this winter. So when a high school boys basketball game was played between West Fargo and Moorhead on Jan. 14, the West Fargo players and coaches were not donning masks, while the Moorhead players and coaches were.
Can it get much weirder than this?
Some physicians have said that it may not in the best interest, health-wise, for athletes to have their airflow restricted during sporting events.
"Right away it was hard to get used to wearing a mask, but now it is easier than I expected," said senior Abby Hennen. "Coming into the season, I thought it was going to be difficult to keep the mask on and breath with, but the adjustment has been fairly easy. The hardest part is when your mask gets sweaty and you are breathing in hot air and you can’t cool off or catch a breath."
While some players have grown accustomed to the mask, others are still finding it difficult to compete while wearing one.
"Breathing is difficult from the get go, but once it becomes wet with sweat and spit and hot breath, my ability to breathe falls downward at a surprising rate," Jacob Hennen said. "I feel as though I am not breathing in any air, just my mask. When my breathing gets heavier and the mask is wet, I am just sucking the mask into my mouth rather than breathing oxygen."
Yost said another problem with the mask is keeping it in place during a game.
"The biggest problem for me is having to constantly adjust the mask," said Yost. "In a game, it always falls down, and I am constantly moving it back up. It does get stuck to my face a lot, too, because it is so sweaty. It is not as hard to breath with one on anymore, but for the first few days it was pretty difficult."
And there are a few communication problems between players and coaches because of the covering, too.
"The biggest problem with wearing a mask for me is trying to hear my coaches and teammates," said Rost. "Our coach will yell out a play for us to run and none of us will know which play he was yelling because we can’t hear him through his mask."
Citterman agrees that the mask not staying in place becomes a nuisance.
"The biggest problem for me is that the mask becomes sweaty or falls down," he said. "I am constantly fiddling with my mask to wear it right. I usually switch masks during practice and that tends to help with the problem."
Players look forward to the time when they can pull the mask down during a break and allow some cool air to splash against their face.
"I am always looking forward to the time that I can take it off," Yost said. "But, if it helps prevent the spread of the virus, I know my teammates and I are willing to wear one for as long as we need to. "
Some might feel sorry for the boys and girls basketball team having the the season delayed, shortened and now requiring the use of masks. The girls' team was also a favorite to repeat as Class A state champions last year before having the state rug pulled out from under them just prior to the semifinals.
"Having the state tournament cancelled was a big disappointment right away, but then we stepped back and looked at the bigger picture of how this was affecting other people’s jobs, families, etc.," said Abby Hennen. "Starting late made us appreciate the times we had when we were playing because we missed it so much."
Since there was no state basketball tournament last season, nor was there a state volleyball or football tournament this fall season (Minneota would have been vying for a third straight Class A volleyball title), the basketball players are anticipating a possible state tourney this year, although nothing has been set in stone yet.
"We know what it is like getting stuff taken away from us, so we want to make the basketball season as memorable as it can be," Yost said. "There is talk about having a state tournament for basketball. I think that will motivate my team and I to work even harder, and to push ourselves to be the best we can be. Hopefully COVID does not throw us too many loopholes, and we can make another good run in the postseason, and advance to state to finish off what we were supposed to do last year."
A shortened season forces games to be played more often in a shorter time span.
"I am bummed we are only scheduled for 18 games, but I am hoping we are still able to have a state tournament this year," said Abby Hennen. "As I previously said, I was not looking forward to wearing a mask, but I will do it as long as we are able to play."
Citterman feels grateful just to have some type of a season after the football season ended before the state tournament.
"With being one of the seniors on the team I was disappointed that the season started late and we had fewer games than normal," he remarked. "I was not sure that there was even going to be a season when football ended. When I found out that we had to wear a mask, I was willing to try it because this is my last year."
This wasn't exactly how some seniors wanted their final season to go.
"It has been difficult but we all try to stay positive and make the best out of what we are given," said Rost. "This is not the senior season I have always looked forward to, but at least we get to play. I would much rather get to play and have to wear a mask than not get to play at all."