Following an official vote by BCL-West on Feb. 2 to begin the 2021 sports seasons, Convent & Stuart Hall has resumed its athletics program with modifications to comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

“I feel super grateful to have the chance of playing sports again for Stuart Hall,” senior D’Angelo Flores, who plays soccer and runs cross country, said.

Athletes who signed up for sports must adhere to strict cohort rules established by the California Department of Public Health and enforced by the California Scholastic Federation, including limiting participation to only one sport per season.

“Students and coaches must only participate in one athletic cohort at a time,” Dana Kuwahara, Head of Athletics & Physical Education, said. “Students may not participate in school athletic cohorts at the same time as participating in any outside club programs.”

Students participating in school sports must already be attending in-person instruction and may not participate in any sports teams outside of school, such as with a club.

“With lockdown restrictions changing here and there, it feels good seeing that we are finally making progress with getting sports underway again,” senior Ethan Reader, who plays baseball, said. “Seeing that we are getting the opportunity to get back out there and represent our school on the field is a good feeling for sure.”

The 2021 athletics calendar is divided into three seasons, that will take place Feb. 8-March 19, March 22-April 30 and May 3-June 8. Although the delayed football season was scheduled to begin on March 22, the Coastal Mountain Conference, the football league Stuart Hall High School plays in, has canceled its season.

“It’s a real bummer that we’re not having a season,” senior Owen O’Dell said. “I’m going to miss the family that this sport has created for me and my friends. My sadness doesn’t come from the games being canceled,  but from the inability to inspire freshmen who want to join the family like I did four years ago.”

With sports back in session, many students will have the opportunity to play a sport they enjoy before they graduate.

“I’m not too sure whether I will be involved athletically any way in college,” Flores said, “and having the chance to play sports I love, perhaps for the last time, is great.”