There was some extra pep in the steps of the Mission Veterans volleyball players, and many other athletes Monday morning.
It’s not surprising — it was the first official day of practice following no extracurricular activities due to COVID-19 since the beginning of the school year.
“We are ready to rock and roll,” said head coach Diana Lerma, whose teams have won 15 district titles in the past 18 years. “The girls were like little puppy dogs. This morning we did the mile run so we didn’t do hands on. Today after school we will get a true sense of where they all stand and what they’ve done to be ready.”
Several Rio Grande Valley schools began practice Monday, the first day Hidalgo County schools were allowed to reopen for on-campus, school-sponsored extracurricular activities per a county-level public health order.
Others, such as Donna High and Donna North, begin practice Oct. 5.
McAllen ISD voted Monday night to move ahead with fall sports beginning today.
“I am so pumped,” McAllen Memorial second-year head coach Ashley Doffing said.
“I had kids watching the board meeting who probably never knew what a board meeting was. They wanted to know as soon as Coach knew.”
Doffing said practice will begin today with evaluating girls for varsity. Most RGV schools are only fielding one team, eliminating JV and freshman squads this year.
“I told them this is a year that champions are made. We will see how many kids have been pushing themselves,” Doffing said. “We will be super cautious and I can’t wait to see them in the gym.
“This is the first step to getting things back to normal. I think the girls realize it — their passion for the game and their respect for the community is something I think everyone can look to. I tell them that student-athletes carry a lot — all eyes are on them. They have to answer to teachers and coaches, both. It’s not so much the pressure, but if anyone gets us back to normalcy it’s these student-athletes.”
Lerma said completing the season will be a key stepping stone for future sports.
“This is a new animal,” Lerma said regarding facing all the changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a coach for 31 years, I’ve never experienced anything like this. We’re all in the same boat and now the more hands on we can be, the better.
“This is not just about volleyball. Can we follow the protocol and not mess it up for other sports? If we can comply and start and finish, then other sports will get that opportunity. We will comply because we want to play and give others the chance to, as well.”
Lerma and the Patriots usually load their preseason schedule with tournaments in Houston and San Antonio, playing top-notch statewide competition to get ready for district play. That wasn’t possible this year, even though other regions across Texas have been playing for about a month.
“I’m a little jealous of Houston and Dallas and those area that got their tournaments in, but we are in a hotspot,” she said. “We are on our tippy toes and being cautious. I’m just happy we can get started.”
Mission Veterans has a preseason matchup at 6:30 p.m. at McAllen Memorial. The Patriots’ first district game is Oct. 13 against La Joya Palmview. La Joya ISD had announced during the summer that they would not have fall sports. District officials are expected to make an announcement this week, however, that they will reverse course and compete in fall sports.
“We’re starting off at a slow pace and just praying to God we can finish,” Lerma said.