More Curtains

After a three-week Thanksgiving break, volleyball practices have started back up with even more Covid obstacles to dodge. 

I had my first practice after the recent gym closers on December 1, and to say the least I was excited to get back on the court and just play some volleyball.

The tournaments are still on hiatus, but I’d rather practice and get ready  for when they do start again, than not be in the gym. So, when I got the email from my club that I would be practicing again, I was incredibly excited. 

There were several bullet points throughout the email that I skimmed through, but nothing that seemed out of the (new) normal. 

Walking into the gym, it was clear I had made a mistake somewhere between the email and the door.

After a quick chat with my coach in the lobby, I found out that we were restricted to the weight room for ‘practice’. This is because the club is trying its best to keep every team separate. Then, if someone tests positive, only one team has to quarantine.

But on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there are five teams in the gym, and there are only four courts. So, instead, the last team is left in the weight room to work out and go over film. 

And that’s what we did. Instead of playing and working on skills on the court, we got to do push-ups and jump rope, six feet apart, of course. I didn’t even touch a volleyball.

It felt so lonely. Volleyball has always been a family to me, and it feels like we were all sent to our rooms to keep ourselves company. 

In fact, each team does have their own ‘room’ now. More curtains have been installed between the courts, and by the waiting areas to allow for less contact. The curtains have made everything seem ten times more real, and ten times more lonely.

So, confined to our own little boxes, Juggernaut Volleyball will keep the doors open, but how far is it going to go?