With the beginning of school, fall sports have returned for Burlingame students, although seasons are severely limited by the COVID-19 pandemic. While all fall sports have been postponed until 2021, it has not stopped Burlingame athletes from practicing. 

“Some of our teams, not all of them, have chosen to participate in some off-season conditioning,” Athletic Director John Philipopoulos said. “We have to follow all of our protocols: temperature checks, daily questions, social distancing and masks.” 

While training on campus, Burlingame athletes practice in pods of up to 14 students and two coaches to limit in-person contact. For the first three weeks, players were restricted from using shared equipment to prevent the possible spread of the virus, but that restriction has recently been lifted.

“This week we were actually allowed to incorporate some equipment, so we are allowed to use a ball or shared equipment,” Philipopoulos said. “Oct. 12 was the first time we were allowed to do something a little more sports specific.”

However, the unusual schedule of the season has given way to some unique opportunities for athletes. Due to the postponement of fall sports into 2021, this year students are allowed to participate in multiple sports in the same season.

“I think it can be challenging in some regards, but can also be a great opportunity and a lot of fun,” Philipopoulos said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to progress, it is difficult to determine the course of sports in the immediate future. In the meantime, Burlingame athletes are hard at work preparing for the upcoming season, whenever it may be. 

“Things are moving in the right direction so that gives us a little bit of hope,” Philipopoulos said. “When it’s time, we need to make sure we’re ready.”