The recent announcement by Governor Phil Murphy that indoor sports would be able to resume after being “paused” for several weeks was welcomed by student-athletes, parents and everyone involved with high school athletics.
That includes Gazette Sports Editor Dan Russoman, who is looking forward to covering indoor sports like boys and girls basketball and other winter sports in the weeks to come.
During the last 10 months or so, the entire world has seen upheaval and change because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On the worst end of the spectrum, the virus has brought sickness and death. Certainly, the loss of athletic contests does not rival the impact felt by families who have lost loved ones or had to see them deal with relatives who were or are sick.
We keep the impact of losing games in perspective, but that does not mean it is not a loss that is grieved by the student-athletes who are affected, or the coaches and parents of those student-athletes. Hammonton has always been a solid sports town, and there is a culture here that celebrates athletics, particularly on the youth and high school levels. This sports town isn’t the same without its sports, and we are looking forward to covering games again on the pages of our sports section.
To all the student-athletes, coaches and parents: you have been patient, and now the time for waiting to play is at an end. Good luck to all competitors in whatever sport they play. It will be great to see you out there playing again.