By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
East Valley coaches are facing a unique set of challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coaches across all sports are finding new ways to connect with athletes and keep them in shape. Additionally, those who lead spring sports are trying to keep themselves and their teams in the right mindset for the possibility of their seasons returning.
Soccer playoffs were just about to begin when the initial UIL postponement was announced. The Los Fresnos boys and Brownsville Jubilee girls soccer teams were both riding high after strong seasons and looking to build off the momentum in the postseason.
The Falcons clinched their first District 32-6A title, and coach Michael Miller was looking forward to seeing his seniors get their first taste of playoff action. He’s communicating with his players 1-on-1 and trying to keep himself and his team hopeful for the opportunity to improve an already historic season.
“We’re trying to stay positive, obviously it’s not easy, but we’re trying. UIL is giving us hope and we’re really clinging to that hope,” Miller said. “I really hope they get that chance (to compete in a playoff game) because it’s one of the best high school moments you’re going to have.”
Miller is finding the silver lining in this tough time by teaching his athletes to be accountable and self-motivated. The Falcons rely on group texting to exchange workouts and use an Adidas running app to keep track of mileage and encourage each other.
“I’m trying to make weekly phone calls to each of my players. I have my seniors over some groups of guys that they’re supposed to keep track of and encourage,” Miller said. “(Technology helps because) I can see on the app who is going on a run and then I can applaud them, and I know that has to help them because they can see, ‘Hey, my coach is paying attention, my teammates are paying attention,’ so we push each other virtually.”
The Lady Titans also made history by finishing as the District 32-4A co-champions in their UIL debut season. Coach Jennie Maldonado said her girls have been a little fearful, especially her seniors, that they won’t get to build on the early success.
Maldonado credited her team captains with keeping the girls connected and motivated despite social distancing. The coaching staff is figuring out how to coach virtually through Google Hangouts and Google Meet to help the players work on skills and stay in shape.
“We’ve been telling the girls since this whole thing started that we don’t know when (the season) is going to come back, so there’s no time to relax. I’ve been telling them to get in their miles and stay active because as soon as we come back, we’re going to go hard and we don’t want a big gap we have to fill after all the work we’ve done in the season,” Maldonado said.
Harlingen South baseball coach Chris Gracia is using various forms of technology with his athletes. He uses the Remind app to issue workouts and send announcements, Twitter to show his athletes workout videos posted by South strength and conditioning coordinator Daniel Cortez, and Google Forms for work logs his players fill out every week.
Gracia and Harlingen High baseball coach Armando Rangel met with Harlingen athletic director Robert Davies about some possibilities if the season comes back, but Gracia just wants his athletes to take care of themselves and not worry about logistics.
“We’re just at the stage of coming up with possible ideas because it’s all up to (the) UIL. We were thinking of maybe having a district tournament, just trying to keep hope alive. I told (my players) to just look to May 4, whether it’s practices get to restart or getting back to competition, whatever we do, just be ready,” Gracia said. “The big thing for baseball is arm care. They have to take care of their arms and make sure to throw, because that’s really going to be the biggest danger when we come back.”
Rio Hondo softball coach Brett Esparza is approaching things in a similar way. His Lady Bobcats were 3-0 in District 32-4A and had finally hit a stride when the season was paused.
Esparza and other Lady Bobcats coaches have been very active on Twitter to challenge their student-athletes with workouts. He said the videos they post serve a dual purpose of showing that the work is being done and giving coaches and teammates a chance to see each other.
“The girls have been very optimistic about coming back, and I think that’s the right mindset to have,” Esparza said. “We were making so much progress, and it was hard to pump the brakes. But they’re still throwing, hitting, pitching, and that’s really the biggest concern in the coach’s mind. We’re working toward that May 4 date UIL set.”