For the first time since March 2020, a live high school sports event on the Central Coast has been scheduled in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pioneer Valley School High and Righetti High School are set to race Saturday in a cross country scrimmage on the 3.13-mile on-campus course at Righetti.
“Our kids are very eager for this,” Pioneer Valley cross country coach Riccardo Magni said. “We have been training since September. Our kids have been eager to be put to the test in a race.”
The competition will consist of a varsity girls and boys race. The first race is slated for 10 a.m.
Per state and county health regulations, no spectators will be allowed at the event.
“I’m not sure of all the details of what the start (of each race) will look like,” Magni said. “The runners might be spread out left to right. With only 14 kids in each race, distancing shouldn’t be a problem.
“Runners will wear a mask at the start of the race. At a point designated by the Righetti administration, probably in the first 100 to 200 yards, the runners will discard their masks into a receptacle.”
The Pioneer Valley coach said the student athletes are excited to race.
“The kids need this. One mom told me the reason her child gets out of bed in the morning is to go to cross country practice. The kids have been working very hard,” Magni said. “We have had no positive COVID-19 tests. In fact, there has not been a single positive COVID-19 test in the Pioneer Valley athletic program” since the school began its return-to-sports program.
Righetti and Pioneer Valley have another scrimmage against each other scheduled for Feb. 12 at Pioneer Valley.